


Wherever We Go It Never Ends, Can't You See That?

by AKUMA_jpg



Series: WWGINE story line [1]
Category: (여자)아이들 | (G)I-DLE
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, F/F, Minnie is whipped, Miyeon is quite and shy, side SooShu, side yuyeon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-26
Updated: 2020-10-03
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:48:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 61,653
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25536862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AKUMA_jpg/pseuds/AKUMA_jpg
Summary: Up until now, Minnie completely forgot Miyeon existed. Only when she heard a pretty tune of a piano being played on her way to a club meeting did she stop to admire the hidden beauty that was Cho Miyeon. Although pretty, Miyeon was an enigma, mostly keeping to herself all her highschool life, no one really knows who she is. Minnie, drawn to her, makes it her mission to finally get to know her, after 3 years of having been in the same class.
Relationships: Cho Miyeon/Minnie Nicha Yontararak, Jeon Soyeon/Song Yuqi, Seo Soojin/Yeh Shuhua
Series: WWGINE story line [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1974556
Comments: 95
Kudos: 454





	1. "I'm Following The Bright Thoughts In My Head"

**Author's Note:**

> Haven't been seeing enough Miyeon content on here lately, so I wanted to make one myself. Honestly, she's the most amazing person on the planet and I love her sm. I got the inspiration to write this fic after watching "Weathering With You" and rewatching "Your Name", both very good movies (I'll link them below). Also, I love highschool AU, there's just something so enthralling about it. I, myself, am still in high school as well, but it's unfortunately not as interesting as I write it. Hope you enjoy this, idk how many chapters it's going to be yet, so stay tuned :).

The pencil gracefully glided across the perfect lines in her notebook. She wrote of love and longing, both feelings she’s never experienced and has only seen in the K-drama’s her brother spent hours watching in their living room. 

_ “I’m gonna stop time with you _

_ But I can’t see the future I’ve drawn _

_ It breaks like a dream _

_ It’s all broken…” _   
  


Shaking her head in dissatisfaction and muttering, “No, that’s stupid.” She closed her notebook and stored it back in her bag as the first school bell rang. 

She went to a rather prestigious highschool, CUBE academy. They were known to have the most famous alumni that previously attended and were very well known in the world. Not only did the staff and other students expect highly of each other but also their parents that spend at least an arm and a leg in order to pay for tuition. 

Minnie came from a privileged family that didn’t need to worry about her school fees. Her dad donated generous amounts to money each year to ensure his daughter’s status at the academy and the wellbeing of that very institution. 

Twirling her pencil between her thumb and forefinger, Minne was bored out of her mind. Her history teacher was going on about some imperial power and she honestly couldn’t care less.

The time came and she visited her locker before the lunch break, carefully taking out the lunch the household cook made her. From the corner of her eye, she could see a short bubbly girl hopping her way. 

“Hi, Minnie Mouse!” She girl erupted from behind her.

“Hi,” she kept a short greeting. 

“You ready?” She linked their arms together, leading her to the lunchroom. 

Minnie met Shuhua at their first-year orientation, she was idly standing by her parent’s side while they talked to some colleagues whose kids also got into CUBE when Yeh Shuhua came bouncing in the auditorium. Immediately locking eyes with the Taiwanese girl, Shuhua came over to introduce herself. 

Shuhua was Taiwanese royalty but she seemed so down to earth, a perfect match for Minnie, who never really paid mind to her riches. Shuhua was a lively character at that, comfortable striking conversation with her as if they were already friends and by the end of the night, they were. They have been close friends for 3 years now.

“Yeah sure, where’s Soojin?” Seo Soojin was the third addition to their little group and Shuhua’s girlfriend. She remembers having to give Shuhua endless pep-talks to go and talk to the other girl. They were sickeningly in love and unbearable to be around when they flirted. But she was happy for them. Soojin was beautifully intimidating upon first glance, but after she was added to their group, Minnie had the pleasure of learning that she was a shy sweetheart. 

“She texted me and said she was already at our spot with Yuqi.” Ah yes, how could one forget Song Yuqi. The last person in their group was a short and fiery Chinese girl, she came from a prosperous Chinese family, her father being one of the biggest business tycoons in Shanghai. 

Walking into the large and luxurious cafeteria, equipped with various food court stands and stocked vending machines, they easily spotted the other two girls. 

“Hi, Jinjin.” Shuhua beams, her girlfriend returning a smile as she slid into the seat next to her.

Yuqi was dramatically laying against the table, hiding her head in her arms, groaning loudly. 

“What’s up with her?” Minnie asked, unpacking her lunch, mouth-watering at the sight of the steaming rice. 

“She’s just grumpy her crush won’t notice her.” Soojin rolled her eyes, picking up her fork and toying with her food. 

“Oooo,” Minnie was finally catching on. “Yuqi, I didn’t know you had it  _ that  _ bad for Soyeon.” Jeon Soyeon got in this school on a music scholarship, she was always cool-headed and caring towards others, not letting arrogance seep through even when she was the best piano player at the academy and lead in the school orchestra. 

“Why would she like me back anyway? I’m a loser.” She whined. 

“Hey, you’re a catch. You’re just stupid sometimes.” Minnie reassured. 

Earning a strong punch to the side of her arm, “Yah! You’re not helping, pabo.”

Snickering at her reaction, “At least you got your energy back, go get her tiger.” Minnie was pointing to Soyeon who just entered the room, struggling to carry her backpack, books, and notes. Which then resulted in her kicking Yuqi out of her seat to go over and help the poor girl. 

Shuhua and Soojin gave her an enthusiastic thumbs-up as Yuqi shyly approached the shorter girl, helping her with her things. Both of them were blushing at the gesture. 

_ Those idiots, just date already. _ Minnie thought to her self, proud of her excellent wingmanship. 

Finally turning her attention back to her lunch she devoured it in a flash, before heading to her club meeting room. “See you later guys, I’ve got to help out with the music club preparations for the school fair.” She waved goodbye to the couple before weaving through the crowded lunch tables. 

___

After quickly stopping by her locker to return her lunch pouch, she heads up the hardwood stairs and up a rather long hallway. Stopping when she hears the soft melody of a piano being played. Her curiosity gets the better of her and she slowly creeps to the source of the sound. 

Peeking her head in the doorway cautiously, she sees a very pretty girl sitting on the black piano bench. She had long chestnut brown hair and was softly singing a ballad Minnie couldn’t remember the name too. But she recognized the girl, it was Cho Miyeon. 

No one really knew who Miyeon was. She never talked to anyone or tried to make friends, she always kept to her self. She and Minnie were in the same literature class this year and every time Minnie saw her, she was usually staring blankly through the window or folding little paper cranes out of neon yellow posit notes. 

No one bullied Miyeon, at least not to her face. People started making weird rumors about her during their second year. They made up weird stories that she was a mute orphan that got her tongue cut off by the Asian mafia, but she wasn’t mute. Even though she never talked to anyone, she had a beautiful voice. Her voice was low and sultry, unique and amazing in its own way. 

She had gotten numerous offers from the chorus teacher, he practically begged her to be on the team but she politely declined all his invitations. That’s when they started making up even more rumors. One that she was terminally ill and didn’t have much time left on this planet. This one wasn’t that far off. If it was true, that would explain why she always sat out during team sports and why she was so pale. 

But no matter how many fables they conjured, no one ever really cared enough to find out. Some just thought she was a normal shy girl that wanted to spend time alone, and most just simply ignored her existence. The teachers even gave up on calling on her for class answers, because she would always respond with the same bland one:  _ “I don’t know” _ . 

She used the same tired response, even to the easiest questions that she surely knew but didn’t want to waste her breath on. Miyeon had normal grades and everything about her seemed normal on paper, but there was something very off about her. 

Who really was Cho Miyeon? Minnie didn’t know anything about her, she sort of just blended into the background in every setting. She, on the other hand, was a social butterfly. Minnie was a charming soul that garnered many friends and acquaintances. Unlike Miyeon, Minnie was very approachable and easy to talk to. That’s just who she was, when she attended all the formal house parties her parents threw. Her mom being a talkative socialite and her dad being a rich landowner, she was raised in a very talkative person, especially around her older twin brothers.

Minnie forgot she was still staring until the piano stopped and their eyes met. Miyeon was like a deer caught in the headlights, looking at her with her big brown eyes. This was the first time Minne had gotten a good look at her in the three years they had been in the same class. 

Miyeon had a long elegant nose, a sharp chin, and naturally attractive features. Her long light brown hair was neatly tucked behind one of her ears, other strands fell perfectly on her left cheek. 

“Um…” Minnie didn’t really know what to say now that Miyeon acknowledged her presence. She wasn’t planning on staying that long but got lost in the song that Miyeon was singing. “What song was that?” Desperately trying to break the ice.

Minnie was known for being a very straightforward person, who rarely got shy in front of people, but Miyeon’s gaze made her feel so small. She couldn’t describe it, whether it was the lack of emotion coming from the other girl or the thick tension between them. She felt like she walked into something she wasn’t supposed to see. 

“It’s  _ Palette _ By IU.” Miyeon almost whispers. 

“Oh… cool.” This was really awkward, that was the longest sentence she’s ever heard from the other girl. “Um, sorry for interrupting. I just heard you play and I wanted to see who was playing…” She felt like she needed to apologize a hundred times for the look she was giving her. 

Miyeon said nothing, just staring right back at her, her legs were now elegantly crossed as she fiddled with the buttons on her uniform blazer. 

“Yeah, so… sorry-” Minne turned to continue down the hall and left to her club meeting she was supposed to be at. 

_ That was weird. _ She internally cringed, hating that she made a fool of herself in front of such a pretty girl.

___

Her family driver opened her car door and helped her get out, she triedly stalked up to her room. Opening it’s double doors and collapsing on her bed face first, burying her head in her pillows. She was so dead tired but she had to be at Shuhua’s in an hour for a project meeting. 

In her literature class, they were supposed to make a song and sing it. The song was supposed to embody the feelings expressed in the book they were reading,  _ Romeo and Juliet _ . She hated that goddamn book. It was so overused and cheesy, personally she had never fallen in love, but that Shakespearian play made her blood boil. 

_ How the hell did they fall in love, get married, and die all in one week? It’s so predictable and boring. _ She hated stuff like that, much rather preferring to watch those horrid romance dramas.

The teacher was drawing lots for groups of three people and she and Shuhua luckily got each other. And just by coincidence, they also got Cho Miyeon. In the past, what she heard is that Miyeon just quietly did the work assigned to her, not really caring what group she was in. And when the teachers let the students pick their groups on occasion, she just worked by herself. 

Turning over to lay on her back, she loosened her tie.  _ This is going to be a hot mess. _ She concluded. Miyeon wasn’t necessarily hard to work with, she did whatever you asked her to do with little to no qualms, but it was merely based on the fact that she couldn’t stop thinking about her.

She couldn’t forget how pretty she looked sitting at the music classroom’s piano, her delicate face, and slender fingers playing that song like she had done it numerous times before. She couldn’t forget that look she was giving her when she stared back.

_ Hate, uncomfortableness, annoyance?  _ She couldn’t seem to figure out how Miyeon felt about her, it made her frustrated. Shaking her head and taking in a deep breath, she loaded back into her chauffeured car and sped off to Shuhua’s mansion. 

___

Opening the grand front doors and having two very hyper poodles rush to her feet, she smiled widely to Shuhua who answered. 

“Hi, Minnie!” Shuhua brought her in with a big hug.

Squeezing the life out of her, “Calm down Shu, you literally saw me like 3 hours ago. Is Miyeon here?” Her voice dripping with anticipation.

“Mhm,” The shorter girl hummed in compliance. “She’s sitting in the living room.”

“And?” It was obvious Minnie wanted to know her opinion on her.

“And what?” Shuhua was still clueless, closing the door behind her.

“What do you… think about her?”

“Well I don’t know, I only just met her. She’s really quiet and shy.” Shuhua was talking at her usual lighting fast pace. “But she’s really really pretty, she seemed nice when she greeted me at the door, and she loves the dogs.” 

Entering the rich living space, where a thick, intricate Persian rug lined the floorboards. Miyeon was perched on Shuhua’s $10,000 couch and looking unreal. 

The sunlight spilling through the large windows near the far end of the room perfectly illuminated her features making it seem as if she was glowing. The vibrant green of Shuhua’s huge backyard coming into view through the windows contrasted the different shades of soft brown and gold inside the house. From where Miyeon was sitting on her couch, dressed in her prim and proper school uniform, Minnie wouldn’t be surprised if she was royalty too. 

“Hi,” Minnie made eye contact with her a soon as she walked into the room.

“Hi,” Miyeon said in the softest voice she’s ever heard. 

“So, let’s start on the lyrics.” Shuhua brought their attention back to her. “If we finish writing that, we can plan everything easier.” 

Minnie and Miyeon nodding in agreement in unison. “Um, I already kinda wrote a whole verse already.” Minnie admitted.

“Really? Great! We can just go off that then.” Shuhua carried the conversation for the majority of their study session. 

Her eyes scanning the lines of Minnie’s notebook and nodding in approval, “It’s perfect, Minnie.” 

“Yeah, I-” She was interrupted her in mid-sentence, by her dogs screaming.

“Oh, sorry. That must be my dad, I’ll be right back.”

_ “Shuhua-yah, my love? Are you home?” _ Her dad was yelling through the long halls in Chinese. Shuhua followed the sounds of the dogs, leaving her alone with the utterly silent Miyeon.

“Do you want to read it?” She held the paper out to the girl, who was again playing with her blazer’s buttons. 

“Sure,” Taking it and reading it intently. 

Studying her expression while she read, Minnie tried to find any semblance of sincerity in her gaze. Surprisingly, her eyes softened and her lips lifted slightly on the ends, resulting in a small smile.

_ Cute. _ Minnie thinks to herself. Miyeon was a really interesting person in general, she felt the urge to get to know her more. If only she would say more than 4 words to her.

“It’s good.” She handed it back to her. 

Sitting in silence for about 30 seconds in each other’s company, Minnie felt like dying.  _ What is taking Shuhua so long? _

In a failed attempt to strike up conversation, “So you play the piano?” 

“Yes.”

“You’re really good.” 

“Thank you.” 

“Do you know how to play any other instruments?” Minnie felt like she was prying since the other girl was so vague with her.

“The violin.”

“Wow, that’s cool. I can kinda play the guitar.”

And that’s when the conversation ended. Preferring to sit the rest of their company in the quite, she didn’t want to scare Miyeon off. 

“Hey guys, sorry my dad was just showing me the new boat he bought.” Shuhua sighed in annoyance. Only the daughter of Taiwanese royalty would be annoyed that her dad bought his 5th boat. “Did you guys start on anything?” 

“No.” Minnie was shaking her head rapidly. 

“Okay, let’s start.”

___

Minnie was packing up her pencils and notes, it was already 9 pm. Miyeon was helping Shuhua clean up the take out they ordered that was on the coffee table. The study session went over smoothly, Miyeon, for the most part, worked silently, with Mata sitting in her lap (one of Shuhua’s dogs). Stealing glances here and there, Minnie found her self entranced by Miyeon’s sheer beauty. 

She and Minnie announced they were going home at the same time and walked out of Shuhua’s large estate together. Shuhua holding a poodle in her arms and waving them off from her front porch. 

It was a cold night and walking out of Shuhua’s long driveway, but she felt uncomfortably hot. Minnie saw the thin girl shiver in her peripheral vision, causing her to shrug off her thick cardigan. “Here.” She handed the girl her sweater. 

Looking at her curiously, she shook her head, refusing to let Minnie freeze as well. 

‘It’s fine. See,” She grabbed her hand with hers, warming it. “I’m not cold.” Watching as the brunette slipped it over her shoulders, holding her backpack in her hand. 

“Thank you.” She could see a slight redness to the latter’s cheeks, Minnie couldn’t tell if it was because she was cold or embarrassed, she just assumed a little bit of both. 

Looking a little bit down the wide road, she saw a small car parked with the headlights beaming. “Is that your ride?”

“Yes.” 

Minnie just wanted to make sure Miyeon had a safe way home before leaving, “Well, my ride’s over there,” she pointed to the sleek black Bentley parked in the opposite direction. 

Miyeon was looking at her with her big eyes, but something was different. She could finally see something behind her expression,  _ fondness. _

“Goodbye, Minnie.” She broke their staring contest, turning on her heels to walk down the cobblestone paved road and to the small Kia that was waiting for her. 

“Bye, Miyeon.” She smiled, feeling a lot better having shared that little moment with her. She stayed where she was standing, facing the other girl, and gave a big wave and grin in her direction when Miyeon turned to get in the car. 

Then she saw it. 

She was smiling back. Miyeon flashed her straight teeth in a small grin, her shoulders moved up and down a little. She laughed too. Her heart only pounded louder in her chest, as she waved goodbye to the beautiful and elusive Cho Miyeon. 

Skipping to the car door that was being held open but a man dressing in a formal black suit, she excitedly buckled her seatbelt. 

_ I want to see that smile more. _


	2. "You Are Already In All Of My Mind"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All song lyrics used are translations for (G)I-DLE's real songs. Snippets of songs in this chapter were used from (G)I-DLE's "Blow Your Mind". Lyrics from the previous chapter were from (G)I-DLE's "Nightmare".

Laying on her back and scrolling through her twitter feed, Minnie feels subject to a night of boredom. Her bedroom was a bit messy, sheets were thrown off messily from when she had to rush to school that morning and she didn’t really care to fix them when she got home. Her homework was sitting in her backpack untouched, which she was probably going to end up doing in the car ride to school tomorrow. 

Nothing out of the ordinary, Shuhua was gushing about how amazing her girlfriend was, and her feed was filled with cat videos Yuqi was retweeting. Continuously clicking on the little home icon in the bottom left corner of her screen desperately trying to refresh her timeline. 

Then it hit her… literally.

Letting her mind wander, it found it’s way back to the reoccurring topic of Cho Miyeon. Her beefy iPhone 11 pro slipped out of her fingers and nailed her square in the face. Yelping out in a mix of surprise and pain, she rubbed her forehead. 

_ Ow. _ Rolling over onto her stomach and deciding that was enough phone time, Minnie props her chin up in her hand. 

_ Miyeon.  _ She tried to put the pieces together in order to solve the puzzle that was Cho Miyeon. It was an odd situation, wasn’t it? Why was she always so quite? Sure, there were shy kids at her school, but even the shy kids had a couple of friends. And it’s not like she was some type of anomaly or sideshow that people made fun of, she was just a normal girl. Right?

_ Does she hate people that much? Is she just antisocial? _ Minnie, wracking her brain trying to come up with a reasonable explanation that explained why Miyeon was the way she was. 

_ Hmm, whatever. _ She concluded, getting up to search the fridge for snacks.

___

“What do you mean you already finished the song?!” Yuqi squealed. They were eating lunch like usual, and Minnie gladly dug into the bibimbap. 

“What?” Minnie was confused as to why Yuqi was so bent out of shape.

“Me and my group have been stuck for  _ days _ trying to figure out the title. The  _ title _ !” Yuqi whined.

“I know, right!” Shuhua agreed. “I’m so lucky to be in a group with her!”

“Are you guys talking about Mr.Lee’s project?” Soojin interjected.

“Mhm,” Minnie blocked out the other two girls. “I already finished writing it, we just need to record it.” 

“Should be easy, you and Shu are good at singing. Whose your third member?” 

“Cho Miyeon.” The other girl’s name flew out of her mouth, almost mechanically.

“Oh,” Soojin said like she had something else on the tip of her tongue.

“Oh?” Minnie leaned forward slightly. “Why oh?”

“I mean, isn’t she a bit quiet?” 

“Yeah, but she has a great voice.” This conversation was just between her and Soojin, Shuhua and Yuqi were watching some music video on her phone. 

“Sure, but isn’t she a little… I-i don’t know, weird?”

“Hmm? What makes you think that?”

“I heard she got kicked out of her last high school, that’s why she came during the middle of the first year.” Soojin also leans forward, telling her in a hushed voice. 

“What?”

“Who’re you guys talking about?” Yuqi finally tuned in.

“Miyeon.” Soojin was still whispering, even in the loud atmosphere of the lunch rush.

“Cho Miyeon? I heard her mom killed herself when she was only 7.”

“What?” Minnie says for the 2nd time already. 

“I don’t know, no one really knows much about her.” Soojin returns to her normal tone. 

Well, that didn’t help, now she was even more confused. She wanted to see it for herself. Apart of Minnie warned her, she didn’t want to pry her way into Miyeon’s life, but the other part was deathly curious and wanted to know.

___

Miyeon seemed somewhat comfortable around her now. During the past meetups, they had short but pleasant conversations. Granted the only thing they talked about was other school work and the weather, but Minnie felt happy just to be able to talk to the girl. 

Only then when Minnie showed up to the piano room with her lunch in hand did she feel as if all progress was lost. She wanted to spend some time with the silent girl, figuring she was in her usual spot at the piano. She was, only she looked at Minnie with a weird expression on her face. 

Almost like she was afraid of her. When Minnie opened the classroom door, Miyeon very visibly flinched. Her eyes held so much emotion at that one moment, very different from the first conversation they had. Inside her brown pupils, she appeared to be scared, confused, and surprise simultaneously at the same time.

“Miyeon?” Minnie looked around the room for the source of her discomfort.

“M-Minnie?” Her voice was so small, she looked like she just saw her punch a toddler in the face. 

“Hi, I-i just wanted to see if you’d like to have lunch together...” Minnie held out her prewrapped bento box. 

“O-ok.” Miyeon stood up from the piano and took a seat near the opened window on the edge of the classroom. 

The light blue sky lit up the brown wooden desks they sat at, the window ajar to let in the cool autumn breeze. Deafening reticence filled the classroom, safe for the little clicks of her opening her lunch box. 

Needless to say, anything she did with Miyeon was awkward. She took a seat next to her and 5 minutes into her meal she realized that she wasn’t eating. Miyeon was just sitting there, looking down at the shoes. 

“Do you have lunch?” Minnie broke the ice.

She just wordlessly shook her head.

“Here, have some of mine. They gave me too much.” She took the lid off and made it into a makeshift plate, scooping out generous amounts of rice, adding a few pieces of chicken, and topping it off with a few vegetables. Digging further into her bag, she pulled out another set of chopsticks, handing it to the girl who’s eyes were still glued to her shoes. 

“Thank you.” She shyly replied. 

They ate, and although Miyeon wasn’t saying anything, she seemed less tense, comfortable almost. 

Patting her now full stomach, she leans back in her chair. “Were you going to play today.” Minnie pointed to the piano. 

She nodded. 

“Can I show you something?” She went back into her backpack, pulling out a worn brown notebook. 

She nodded.

Getting up from her seat, she walked towards the black grand piano that was placed near the front of the room. Minnie plopped down on the small black piano bench, cracking her fingers and looking over her shoulder to see Miyeon also up from her seat, meekly standing behind her. 

She started playing the simple notes written down in her yellowed notebook, humming along to the tune. 

_ “Don’t wanna be unsteady _

_ Don’t wanna be uncertain _

_ I just want to stay calm _

_ I like your shadow” _

She wasn’t very familiar with the piano, but she had taken a few lessons when she was young. Her sparse knowledge didn’t get in the way of the actual song since her vocal skill shined through. 

_ “Every time I see you _

_ Closing my eyes _

_ Every time I need you _

_ Stay in front of me” _

She closed her eyes, getting caught in the lyrics of her short song. Fingers lightly pressing down on the smooth ivory keys.

_ “It feels like I fall even deeper _

_ I love you to death _

_ From your body to your head _

_ To your heart, everything will be mine _

_ Don't stay there, come closer to me _

_ It's not the same, don't think of backing out _

_ Think about it, what are the two of us going to do tomorrow?” _

Her fingers withdrew from the keys, and she looked back at Miyeon, who was holding her heart like it was going to fall out of her chest. “What did you think? It’s a bit short, but I think it’s okay.”

“It’s beautiful. Thank you, I really liked it.” Miyeon’s voice came out a little louder than it normally did, but still an octave lower than someone’s usual tone. 

“Yeah, it needs a bit more work but for now it’s okay.” She nervously scratched the back of her head. “I’m not very good at piano… Would you mind playing for me?”

“Umm… ok.” Miyeon was a bit hesitant, taking a seat next to Minnie on the cramped bench. “Would you like to request anything?”

“Hmmm…” She brought her finger to her chin, thinking. “Do you know  _ ‘One Of These Nights” _ by Red Velvet?”

“No, but we can look up the music sheet.” Her hand traveled to her jacket pocket, pulling out her phone. It was an older model and had a cute kiwi phone case on. She propped her small screen on the sheet holder of the piano. “Ready?”

“Yup!” Minnie shot her a large eye smile. 

Miyeon’s cheeks turned to beat red, lowering her head slightly and letting her hair fall to cover her crimson complexion. But it was too late, Minnie saw the little violet tint on the tops of her ears that peeked through her light brown locks.

Her heart started beating faster. Perplexed at the odd sensation both girls were feeling, Minnie cleared her throat and Miyeon started playing the first opening notes. 

___

Minnie started eating with Miyeon more often, she liked that the girl had an overwhelmingly calm vibe to her. Soon enough, her friends started questioning her when she stopped showing up to their usual hang out spots. 

“Where do you go during lunch?” Shuhua chided, attached to her arm as they walked to their next class together.

“The piano room.” Minnie felt like she was telling Shuhua something she shouldn’t have. 

“Oh. Alone?”

“No.”

“Did you finally woman up and get a girlfriend Minmin?” She teased.

“Yah! Nothing like that, I just eat there and watch Miyeon play the piano.” She looked the other way, trying to hide her embarrassment. The thought of dating such a pretty girl fried her brain. 

“Miyeon?” She seemed surprised. “The one in our group project?”

“Yeah, she’s not as weird as you guys think she is. Just quiet.”

“That’s nice, I didn’t think she had any friends. Until you, that is.” Shuhua wasn’t the kind of person who judged people based on rumors, she peacefully minded her own business not really paying attention to the white noise of teenage drama. 

They waded through the crowded hallways, expertly avoiding the first years that were running to their next classes. Shuhua unlinked their arms to go to her assigned seat. 

This was her last period and, quite frankly, her favorite. In Mr.Lee’s class, students old and new could be found snoozing to his mind-numbingly long lectures and the countless monologues he tended to go on. Everything about it was a big yawn, but this was the only class she shared with Miyeon. 

(Instead of dozing off, she would stare at her. Sometimes she would return her glances and Minnie would divert her attention back to her opened book, having a mini heart attack. She didn’t know where this infatuation came from. Was is purely just attraction? That was a possibility, considering she knew next to nothing about her.)

_ Let’s see… She plays the piano and the violin… She likes dogs… She likes IU… _ Minnie was counting the small pieces of information she learned about her on her fingers. Slumping forward on her desk in defeat, despite eating lunch with her for a whole week, she still didn’t know who she was. Stuck in the perpetual state of acquaintances, she wanted to learn more.

Every class was the same. She’d stare at Miyeon’s diamond complexion, drowning out the nonsense Mr.Lee was going on about until the ending bell rang. 

_ “And don’t forget! Your projects are due in 2 weeks!” _ He reminded. Everyone scrambled to get their things together, rushing out of the door. 

“Alright, I’ve got to help Soojin study for her chem test. See ya!” Shuhua waved her goodbye. 

Miyeon was still packing up, not really paying attention to the ambitious straight banged girl who was approaching her. 

“Hey, Miyeon.” Minnie started.

She got used to being around her, the fear in her eyes had all but faded. Miyeon greeted her with a kind smile. 

“I was wondering if you wanted to… g-get ahead and record the first couple of verses of the song.” She internally kicked herself, she was  _ going _ to ask her if she wanted to hang out. Changing her agenda, Minnie was afraid of rejection. 

(She didn’t know what it was that made her so nervous. Whenever she was around Miyeon, her heart jumped into her throat and her hands got clammy. She looked so angelic in her gleaming white pressed uniform shirt and neat pleated skirt. God forbid she ever have a crush on someone. No, Minnie Nicha Yontararak, the daughter of the great Daniel Nicha Yontararak, did  _ not  _ get crushes. She was always the one boys and girls chased, drawing people in with her charisma and an adorable gummy smile, she  _ never _ planned on being the one who fell.)

“Okay.” Miyeon finished loading her things into her modest plain black backpack. 

“Cool, we can go to my place. I have equipment and stuff there.” Her face getting hotter by the second at how awkward she sounded. “Shuhua’s helping Soojin with some other work, so we can just record our parts for the time being.”

“Okay,” she repeated. “Let me just let my grandma know.” Miyeon pulled the small phone out of her pocket. 

Minnie tried to brush off the weird glances people were giving her for walking out of school with Miyeon. People were actually downright gawking at her, heads were turning their direction and the hallway fell into a fit of murmurs. She felt Miyeon shrink beside her, no doubt feeling small in the heavy atmosphere. 

She felt bad, it’s not like Miyeon asked to be the resident weirdo because of her social detachment. Feeling rather bold and brave at the moment, she linked their arms and turned her head to give her a reassuring smile. They walked through judging voices and beelined straight to the parking lot, where her driver was already waiting. Being the gentlewoman she was, Minnie opened the door for her, ushering her in. 

___

Thank god her brothers weren’t home to see this, they would’ve never lived this down.  _ Minnie bringing home a girl? And a pretty one too! _ It was quite the sight to see, she was redfaced and stuttering once she saw how absolutely stunning Miyeon looked, sitting cross-legged on her king-sized bed. 

“W-we can go to the studio now, it’s ready.” She just needed to clean up her notes that were laying around the large desk, and they walked through Minnie’s huge house. 

“Wow,” Miyeon whispered upon entrance to the state of the art producing room. 

“Cool, right? My dad had it built for my 11th birthday.” She felt her muscles relax, gaining some of her confidence back. “My brothers joke that this is my second room because I spend so much time in here.”

She looked like a kid in a candy shop, all wide eyes, fingers ghosting the expensive microphone and electronic keyboard set up in the padded soundproof room. Minnie was preoccupied, digging through a large pile of lined paper ripped out of various notebooks, trying to find her song lyrics. 

“Ahh, there it is…” She grabbed the 2 two semi-wrinkled pages out from under an empty water bottle. “Are you ready?”

Briefly going over the simple melody of the song guide she recorded the night before, Miyeon was ready to sing her version in the recording box. 

“Testing testing,” Minnie said over the loudspeaker connected to the recording room. “Can you hear me?” 

Miyeon gave her a curt nod, both hands holding the thick headphones on the sides of her ears. With that, Minnie played the first track.

Swaying along with the song, Miyeon closed her eyes as she got ready for her cue. 

_ “Just say you hate me _

_ Just tell me that you don't love me _

_ Like my heart is going to leave _

_ Like I'm going to hate you _

_ Just say you like me _

_ No, I mean tell me you're in love _

_ Just like the good times _

_ Can't you love me now?” _

_ Woah. _ She had heard Miyeon’s voice before, but in this setting, watching her spill her emotions out into the short verse was mesmerizing.

_ “Your eyes give me an answer _

_ I'm just sighing as if I'm sorry _

_ That’s how it collapses _

_ I’m falling apart.” _

Her eyes were glued on her, Miyeon’s voice brought her to a state of astonishment. Truly, she was speechless. Her voice was deep and smooth, but without much effort, it managed to hit all the right notes. Minnie learned that Miyeon had perfect pitch, she would often improvise when she asked her to play a song she didn’t know. And only after a few second of hearing the original song, she could play it perfectly. 

_ “I'm gonna stop time with you _

_ But I can't see the future I drawn _

_ It breaks like a dream _

_ It's all broken” _

She almost forgot the verse was almost over. Minnie couldn’t help but feel a little pang in her chest, she didn’t want this to end. If possible, she wanted to hear Miyeon’s voice belt even the toughest notes and lyrics she had crafted over the years. All the songs sitting in her hard drive seemed worthless now that she had heard Miyeon. She didn’t want to produce any song if Miyeon wasn’t there to sing it. 

_ “Darkness, heart bruising _

_ If you look at the day when my tears fell _

_ Will you go away? Will I go away from you? _

_ I filled your heart that I love _

_ I think I'm going to die _

_ Will you go away? Will I go away from you?” _

She faded the track out, signaling the end of her part. Snapping out of her trance once she heard the click of the recording room door close. 

“How was that?” Miyeon looked at her normally, not like she just destroyed her soul with her god-like vocals.

Minnie clearing her throat, “Really good, like  _ insanely  _ good.” 

She always looked surprised whenever she complimented her like she wasn’t used to it, “Umm, are we done for today?”

“Yeah, we can just start editing the track…” Minnie slid her chair over to the digital audio workstation in front of the recording box window, relaying the audio clip Miyeon just sang. 

Taking a seat in the other rolly office chair, Miyeon scooched over to her, looking over her shoulder and bopping her head along with the music. 

___

Minnie didn’t even realize 3 hours had passed, to engrossed in making music and talking with Miyeon. She didn’t notice when Miyeon started saying longer sentences and making eye contact with her, but she loved the change. 

For once, she wasn’t the only one talking, Miyeon would add in little suggestions for the song and then they would go off on multiple tangents, trying to learn more about each other. 

(Miyeon’s favorite color was green. She loved dogs and milk tea. She lived with her grandma. Her favorite band is BlackPink. And she’s been playing the piano since she was little.)

Miyeon looked prettier when she smiled, the computer screen illuminating her pearly white teeth in the somewhat dim room. Minnie’s body felt so light when she heard her laugh at her lame jokes, like she was introduced to a whole new person.

In the middle of laughing their asses off when Minnie was telling her about the time she accidentally left her opened lunch on Ms.Kim’s chair during 5th period, Miyeon didn’t realize she had 5 missed calls from her grandma. 

Her face fell instantly, looking down at the screen, “Umm, I have to take this call.” She headed out to the hallway. 

Smiling to her self, she stands up and does a couple jumping jacks, vigorously shaking her head.  _ Calm down, Jesus. _ Her head was pounding and she was out of breath.  _ Okay, yeah she’s really pretty but there’s nothing to freak out about. It’s not like she likes girls or anything. Just calm down and- _

Her thoughts interrupted with the sound of Miyeon reentering the room, back to her shy self, “Umm, I’ve got to go…”

“That’s okay, we ended up working for a lot longer than intended.” She said really fast. “Do you need a ride home?” 

“Yeah, that would be great.” She smiled. Already packing her things away. 

Getting back into her family car, Miyeon shared her address with the driver, settling back into her seat and taking her phone out, out of habit. “M-Minnie,”

“Hmm?” She looked over to the girl and she was gripping her phone like a lifeline. 

“Could I get your number?”

She had never taken her phone out faster in her life, nodding like a lunatic and saving her name into the coy girl’s contacts, Miyeon doing the same. 

Minnie saved her name under  _ Minnie ( ✌︎'ω')✌︎ _ and handed it back to her. Miyeon giggled at the silly name she gave herself and sent her a cute gif of a cat playing a keyboard. 

For the rest of the ride, both girls were smiling so hard their cheeks hurt, only breaking the silence when they arrived at Miyeon’s house. 

Looking out the black tinted windows, Minnie eyed a modern-looking apartment building, outside an older lady, dressed in hospital scrubs, was holding a small dog on a leash. The sky was a shade darker than when they left and the sun was setting over the busy city streets. 

“Thank you, Minnie.” Miyoen turned to her in her seat. “I had fun.”

“No problem, let’s do this again soon.” She beamed optimistically. 

“For sure,” And with that, she got out. The older lady greeting her with a small side hug, walking her in.

_ That must be her grandma. _

___

Coming back home to her brother’s greeting her with devilish grins was nothing good. Whenever the two of them conspired, there was always trouble brewing. 

Minnie had two brothers, Mic and Mac. Once was a freshman in college, and the other just recently graduated. They were a close-knit family, Minnie generally always got along with her older siblings, but siblings were siblings and teasing was inevitable.

“Mom told me you had a new friend over.” Mic tested, his voice hitting a lower octave at the end. “Want to tell us anything?”

“Like what?” She spits back, already heading back to the studio.

“Like was she pretty?” Mac chimed in. 

“Ugh, you two are insufferable.” She groaned, reopening the door to her cave.

_ “Minnie’s got a crush! Minnie’s got a crush!” _ They loudly chanted in unison, triumphantly grinning when she slams the door on them. 

_ I do not have a crush on Cho Miyeon. _ She sulks in her chair, the studio seemed less lively now that Miyeon was gone. She immediately unlocked her phone once she heard the little text message ping.

**Miyeon o(^-^)o [6:54 pm]**

What’s your favorite color?

**Minnie ( ✌︎'ω')✌︎ [6:54 pm]**

Pink

Why?

**Miyeon o(^-^)o [6:54 pm]**

You’ll see… (^_−)−☆

Unknowingly snickering at how cute Miyeon was when she texted, Minnie didn’t see the 50+ messages her friends were sending in their group chat.

**SooSoo [5:30 pm]**

Minnie wanna go to the beach this weekend with us this

weekend?

**Shu [5:43 pm]**

Where’d you go after school Minnie?

**Gogi [6:00 pm]**

Helloooooooo

Minnie

Earth to Minnie!

Are you there????

Oh shit, she completely forgot to check her phone over the past 5 hours. If she was anyone else, there would be no problem, but she wasn’t. Minnie probably spent an averaged 6 hours on her phone every day, between texting her lively group chat, to endlessly scrolling through her feed and laughing at memes, Minne never stayed away from her phone for more than an hour.

**Minnie Mouse [7:00 pm]**

Chill out, I’m not dead -_-

**Shu [7:00 pm]**

MINNIE!!!!!!!

WE MISSED YOUUUUU

**SooSoo [7:00 pm]**

You up for the beach on sat?

**Minnie Mouse [7:01 pm]**

Idk yet

She needed to get off her phone, it was giving her a headache. Her was a jumbled mess, thoughts of Miyeon still remained. The overarching poignancy of Cho Miyeon was still present in everything she did but didn’t she seem happier? She smiled more today, she laughed more today. Was it because of Minnie? 

Rubbing the sides of her head in exasperation, she stalked up to her room. Flipping on the lights to reveal her homework still untouched, she groaned.

_ I’ll do it later. _ She will not do it later. All this Miyeon nonsense was physically draining. 

Crawling under the covers, Minnie sees Miyeon behind her eyelids. She dreams of her smile, her laugh, and nicely settles into slumber. 

_ I do not have a crush on Cho Miyeon. I do not have a crush on Cho Miyeon. I do not have a crush on Cho Miyeon. _ Repeating this mantra in her head didn’t make it easier, anytime she even thought about the shy beauty, Minnie felt butterflies.

_ Shit, I have a crush on Cho Miyeon. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Get ready for the angst next chapter....
> 
> twt: @akuma__jpg


	3. "I'm Happy When We're Together"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: suicide(not graphic) and some language

Whether she was ready or not, Miyeon was thrust into this world. No one remembers the exact moment they were born, but Miyeon had a pretty accurate grasp of what went down.

She was pushed out of her mom, coming out all slimy and agitated. The bright fluorescent hospital lights gleaming off her slick baby body and an aggressive snipping noise of her umbilical cord. There she was, Cho Miyeon, the baby born by mistake.

___

Her mom was a lively and popular cheerleader in high school, falling for the captain of the baseball team (big surprise). And you guessed it, her mom got pregnant. The plain resentment in her mother’s eyes every time she looked at her was always present.

Her father had to drop out of high school, in order to get a job to support him and his new family. They lived in a tiny apartment somewhere deep in the city. Although the memories of her childhood were a bit foggy, she always remembered the warm smile her dad would give her when he picked her up and placed her on his hip. 

She missed her dad. Her mom didn’t have a job and he and she would always engage in screaming matches, yelling over overdue bills, rent, and money. 

_ “You ruined my life! You took away my future! I wanted to travel the world and play music! You goddamn bitch, all you do is leech!”  _ Her father’s voice was clear as the night sky in her mind. 

_ “Do you think I wanted a fucking kid! Taemin, I was humiliated! I also had to quit high school, don’t act like you’re the only one affected by this!”  _ Her mother would scream back

The little family was walking on thin ice, the love and affection the young couple once held for each other was all but dissolved away. Which resulted in Taemin abandoning them. 

___

He left when she was 3. Her dad was her favorite person, he was funny and always gentle with her. She missed the breakfasts he made for her, ones where he cooked 2 eggs and sausage, arranging them into a little face. She missed when he would lift her onto his shoulders and take walks with her through the park on nice spring evenings. She missed when he would play her songs on their little old piano, teaching her how to play  _ Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. _ He made her love music. He would look so peaceful when he played, like all the stress of living was lifted off his shoulders. But now he was gone. 

He kissed her on the forehead,  _ “Miyeon, my love, I’m sorry. I’m sorry you have to live like this.” _ Taemin was tucking her in while her mom was sitting at the dinner table, stressing over that month’s expenses. 

His tears slipped from his eyes and traveled down his skinny face, curving around his mouth. They dripped on the edge of her thin blanket, leaving small droplets behind. 

The next morning he was gone. 

_ “Mommy? Where did daddy go?” _ She asked. 

_ “He’s gone, Miyeonnie. He’s a good for nothing damned bastard!” _ Her outburst startled her, she threw an empty soju bottle at the wall, staining its cheap chipped plaster with green pieces of glass shattering. 

_ “Umma…” _

_ “What! What is it now, Miyeon! What more could you possibly need!” _ She screamed, hot angry tears streaming down her pale cheeks. 

She never asked her mom questions after that, too afraid she might end up leaving her as well. 

___

Things got worse before they got better. Miyeon remembers having to go to school on an empty stomach, wearing yesterday’s clothes. She would get teased for not having a dad, kids were cruel. They would call her names and torment her no matter the reason, even when she wasn’t doing anything, they were relentless. 

_ “My mommy tells me your mommy is a whore!” _ One taller boy teased, pointing a loaded finger at her. 

It was only a matter of time before their bills started piling up. Her mom, not having any work experience or high school education, had to sell her body in order to survive. Miyeon would have to walk her self to and from school, coming home to her mother passed out in the small living room, tired from a night of work. 

_ “My daddy tells me your daddy left your mommy because of you!” _ The never ceased to leave her alone.

These thoughts echoed through her little 5-year-old head. That is what her mom told her, wasn’t it? That her dad left because she had her. It was all her fault, wasn’t it? 

Apparently her mom wasn’t making enough money for the two of them to survive, the angry landlord shoving eviction papers down their throats was an evident sign that they wouldn’t survive another minute in the city. They spent a couple of nights on the streets. Miyeon remembers huddling in her ratty blanket, trying to fight off the cold in the middle of Seoul. 

Until her mom grabbed her things and told her they were going to see her grandma. Her mom’s mother wasn’t very kind to her mom, angry that she was irresponsible enough to have a kid at her young age. But she sympathized once she laid eyes on the little shivering toddler on her doorstep. 

Her grandma was everything her mother was not. She was kind and patient, she never got mad at Miyeon, even when she asked questions. Her grandma’s house was way nicer than the one they left. It was large and clean, the light brown wooden floorboards squeaked under her feet when she lead them to her new room. 

For the first time in her life, she slept in a real bed. Not that abandoned couch cushion she normally occupied but a real bed, with thick blankets and cute flower-patterned sheets. 

Instead of walking home alone after her classes were finished, her grandma picked her up and sometimes treated her to ice cream after. Her life was finally resembling something or normality. 

But she rarely saw her mom, she assumed she was out searching for a job. Miyeon was only human and she still had a strong attachment to her. Whenever she would come into their shared room late at night, Miyeon would sneak under her covers and snuggle up to her very tired mother and feel at peace. 

Her mom looked years older than she actually was, dark eye bags under her eyes and her hair turning gray from the years of stress. But Miyeon thought she was the most beautiful person on the planet and would often spend her nights braiding it when her mom was passed out on the couch. 

One day after school, when she and her grandma had come home from the library, Miyeon was particularly excited to show her mom the new book she could read. Her little legs carrying her as fast as she could to her room. 

_ “Mommy! Mommy, look at this cool book!” _ No one was responding.  _ “Mommy?” _

She pushed open her bedroom door to find her mother, hanging from the ceiling fan. Her thin, frail body unmoving. 

_ “Mommy…” _ She went up to her figure and tugged on her hand. 

Her grandma coming over to see the commotion, she dropped to her knees and cried. Miyeon was very confused. Why was her mom so quite? And why was her grandma so sad right now? 

It was a difficult situation to explain to the innocent little Miyeon that her mother was not coming back. 

_ “Like daddy?” _ She asked at the funeral hall she and her grandma attended, looking down at a small black ceramic jar engraved with the name  _ Cho Seungyeon. _

_ “Yes dear, like daddy.” _

___

Eunbin did her best to raise Miyeon well. She understood the dent that resided inside of Miyeon’s heart as a byproduct of both her mother and father leaving her. She showered her with love and affection, trying to cheer up the somber little soul she was. But everything remotely enjoyable she did, Miyeon would always say  _ “I wish mommy and daddy were here.” _

Miyeon was the exact opposite of Seungyeon. Seungyeon was always so lively and talkative when she was younger. Her late daughter had a thing about her that just attracted people, whether it be her beauty or her personality. Miyeon was different, her beauty was very much there, but she was shyer and more quite. When she first moved in, Eunbin didn’t know she could talk, it surprised her when she uttered a small “Thank you” after their first meal together. 

She couldn’t blame her, right from the womb, Miyeon’s life had been hard. Between her parents fighting and being bullied at school, it was almost like she didn’t know what happiness was. 

The bullying in question never stopped, it even got worse. Kids called her horrible names like _suicide girl_ , _whore’s kid_ , and _mistake._ Eunbin had been called in on multiple occasions where Miyeon was in the nurse’s office, harboring a bloody nose or a black eye that a bully gave her. 

Miyeon just assumed the people that picked on her was her punishment for what she did to her parents, for being born. So she just sat and took it, she took all the name-calling and times they ganged up on her. Because she truly believed she deserved it.

Eunbin moved her from school to school, hoping her granddaughter would be at peace. She was only met with the bitter fate that it made things worse, kids started asking why Miyeon moved schools so often. Miyeon never talked, she never made any friends. 

She felt really bad. Between working long nights at the hospital, Eunbin couldn’t really spend time with Miyeon. People would often ask is Miyeon was her own daughter because she was still young. She wasn’t, Seungyeon was her only daughter who just happened to have Miyeon at a young age but Seungyeon was… gone now. 

Eunbin never married, she never had time to fall in love. She was the head chief director at her hospital, a leading pediatrician. She had a sperm donor in order to have Seungyeon, raising her on her own. 

Coming home, she always checked on Miyeon. Ever since Seungyeon’s passing, she made sure to make it a rule that all the doors in the house had to remain open. 

Miyeon was on summer break and spent all of her days in her room, playing the keyboard Eunbin got her as a birthday present. Peeking in through the doorway, she saw her, posture straight as a stick when sitting on the piano bench. 

The dull sound of her hitting the keys meant she was in the middle of playing a piece, her headphones plugged into the electronic piano, absorbing all the sound. 

Scanning her room, there were a few books opened on the small desk that was adjacent to her keyboard. The window was opened and the small wind gusts blew her light pink curtains a bit. Her small twin bed was made, it was still covered in the same flower sheets that were there when she first moved in. Overall, Miyeon kept her room clean, she even arranged her stuffed animals neatly on her mattress. 

Moving over to her focused grandaughter and tapping her on the shoulder, she slides her headphones off. 

“Oh Halmeoni, I didn’t hear you come home,” Miyeon said softly.

“I texted you earlier…” 

“My phone is broken,” she moved over to her desk, opening one of it’s draws by the little flower handle, taking out her shattered screen. 

“What happened?” Eunbin asked, even though she knew the answer. Miyeon always took great care of her things because she knew how hard it was to pay for it.

“...Some kids t-they…” She struggled to say.

“It’s okay,” Eunbin tried to comfort her, she knew to be around others was never Miyeon’s strong suit. “How about we go shopping for a new one. Don’t you need another notebook, as well?”

Nodding shyly, Miyeon never liked to ask for things. It made her feel guilty, like she was a parasite. Eunbin noticed that when Miyeon went to school with the same worn-out pencils and backpack for her whole kindergarten year before she came to live with her. But now she was starting high school soon, and Eunbin didn’t want to spare the expenses, because Miyeon deserved it and she made a modest amount of money from her job anyways. 

Whenever they went out together, Miyeon stayed close to her, hiding behind her. Miyeon was 15 and almost the same height as her, but she never minded the closeness, she knew Miyeon needed to be treated with a little more care and patience than others. 

“Is this one good?” Eunbin picked out the newest model of iPhone she found, looking at Miyeon who was holding her arm next to her. 

“That one’s too expensive grandma…” 

“Well, you deserve it! You work hard!” She smiled.

Still frowning down at the $900 phone, “How about this one, it’s cheaper.” She pointed to the rose gold iPhone 6 a little further down. 

“Miyeonnie, the price doesn’t matter. I make lots of money, so don’t worry.”

“Someone’s just going to break it again, though.” Miyeon lowered her head. 

She did make a good point, the past two phones just ended up in her middle school toilet. 

Sighing in defeat, “Alright, if that’s what you want. Go pick a case then.” She resumed her happy mood. 

They left the store with a new phone and a cute kiwi case. Walking through the busy streets her eyes immediately spot the little adoption sign planted ahead of them.

“Miyeonnie, look.” She tugged her over to the sign. “Should we take a look inside.” 

She just responded with a small nod. 

Inside were pens filled to the brim with puppies and fellow stray animals, cats and dogs alike. Eunbin always wanted a pet, but Seungyeon was allergic so those dreams died as fast as they came. 

Crouched down, Miyeon stuck her fingers through the metal cage and let a small, white Shiba lick her hand, giggling. Eunbin’s heart warmed at the sight, Miyeon barely smiled, let alone laughed. She used to laugh before her dad left, before her mom died, now she rarely even smiled in her pictures. 

“Miyeon-ah, how about we adopt?” 

“Can we?” She looked up at her, eyes wide with anticipation. 

“Yes, I’ve always wanted a dog.” 

They came home with a new addition to their family, his name was Mochi. Because is fur was soft and white, he resembled a mochi. 

Mochi was her protector, he was a tough little dog. Whenever he sensed she was down, he would hop into her lap and lick her face, only stopping when Miyeon smiled or laughed. If it wasn’t for Mochi, Miyeon wouldn’t have made it this far. He bared it when she would dress him up in cute little dog clothes (even though he hated it) because it made her happy. And to him, that’s all that really mattered. 

___

Summer passed by in a flash, Miyeon would be starting her 1st year at high school at an all-girls private school. Eunbin thought that it would be good, there’d be fewer people to hurt her granddaughter and maybe she’d even make some friends. 

Miyeon came out of her room, dressed in her formal uniform. A freshly ironed dress shirt, plaid pleated skirt, black tie, and the school uniform blazer to bring it all together. 

“Are you ready? You look very pretty.” She complimented.

“T-thank you.” She coughed, crouching down to give Mochi a head pat. 

The little keyboard keychain dangled off the side of her new backpack, she gripped the bag closer to her chest as they pulled up to the school entrance. 

Turning to her obviously anxious granddaughter, “If anything happens, call me. Have a good day sweetie.” She planted a kiss on the top of her head, watching Miyeon quickly get out of the car. 

_ I’m rooting for you Miyeon.  _ Eunbin had prayed to her ancestors that Miyeon would have a good day at her new school. 

This was Miyeon’s 7th school. She switched for the last 6 times during primary and middle school due to some… complications. She was very nervous.

_ What if they don’t like my hair. What if they don’t like that I’m quite. What if they don’t like… me. _ Needless to say, she was tired. Tired of being the butt of every joke, the designated kid everyone chose to bully when they were bored. She was deathly afraid of kids her age, she had seen the worse half of what they could do to her. From throwing food and pulling on her hair, to getting swirlies in the girl’s bathroom and having inappropriate things written on her locker, she had seen it all. 

A couple of months were easy. Her classmates disregarded her existence and she was settling down at her desk, taking out the lunch her grandma packed her. But from the corner of her eye, she could see a small group of girls come over to her. 

“Look who we’ve got here…” One of the girls slammed her hands down on either side of her small desk. “And who are you?”

She was frozen, a larger girl behind her started playing with her hair, “Why’s such a pretty girl like your self sitting alone?” 

She didn’t say a word, “I heard from someone that you used to go to Seocho-gu middle school.” 

Miyeon wished the ground could open up and just swallow her whole, but that didn’t happen. Instead, another girl grabbed at her hair and yanked it hard, pulling her to the ground. 

Her eyes stung, tears threatening to come out. “We asked you a question.” The first girl chided. 

_ That’s enough. _ She rose to her feet, sprinting out of the classroom, not caring that she left all her stuff behind. The sound of heavy footsteps followed behind her. 

“Get back here  _ bitch _ !” 

Her legs burned and her lungs ached for air as she carried herself as fast as she could through the hallways. Her indoor shoes squeaking against the tiled floors, she could feel her breakfast rising up her stomach in fear of facing those girls. 

People giving her weird looks as she rounded the corner of what seemed like the longest hallway on the planet, just at the top of the staircase. One of the faster girls in the group caught up to her, making a move to grab her arm and pull her back. But Miyeon ripped her arm from her grasp, losing her footing and falling. 

Her body felt so light, falling forward with nothing to catch her. It’s like everything was in slow motion, her body turned to face the girls behind her, their faces had horror written all over them as she fell backward down the stairs. 

“Oh  _ shit! _ ” Was the last thing she heard someone say before she hit her head and everything went black. 

The monotonous of her heart monitor beeping in the hospital, Miyeon opens her eyes. Immediately regretting that decision as the bright lights sting her retinas. 

“Oh thank god.” She hears her grandma let out, grabbing her hand. “Thank god you’re alive.”

She felt like she was floating, her head was light and her movements sluggish. Amped up on medication, she felt a dull throb somewhere in the back of her head. Turns out, she didn’t crack her skull from that fall, she just got a concussion. Miyeon stayed in the hospital for a week to recover, the parents of the children visited her and formally apologized since Eunbin threatened to sue them and the school. 

Miyeon would be attending CUBE academy instead. Her grandma applied for it when she was still in the hospital, not wanting her to return to the same place as those she-devils. 

“On the bright side, they have an amazing music program and want you to play for their orchestra.” She and Eunbin were having dinner at her favorite ramen place as a celebration for her discharge from the hospital. 

“When do I start?” Miyeon couldn’t care less where she went, because every new school brought the same bullies. 

“On Monday!” Her grandma was way more excited than her about this.

CUBE lived up to every single praise it got. It was an amazing place and the students there prided on being the best art school in South Korea. The only thing remotely bothered her were all the rumors they started about her, but that much she could handle. She never got picked on, no one called her rude names or defaced her stuff, everyone just minded their own business. 

Except for that goddamn choir teacher, Mr.Kwon. Every day he would ask her if she wanted to join his choir, trying to convince her with sweet words of affirmation. Miyeon had a great voice, but one that would never be preforming in front of others. Her worst nightmare was singing for all to hear, she just wanted him to leave her be. She was perfectly content with playing piano by her self, safe from judging faces.

One Mr.Kwon finally gave up, Ms.Chang got on her case. Trying to get her to play for the school orchestra. Now the school orchestra was something she could get behind, you were in a big crowd and people very rarely singled her out. She fell in love with music all over again, playing the school’s expensive grand piano in the music hall. 

That was until she realized that she had to play it all the way in the front… by herself. She just couldn’t do it. After her first recital, she was sweating bullets. Her grandma gave her flowers after her amazing performance, but she just ran to the nearest bathroom and puked her guts out. 

She gave up her position on the piano and picked up the violin instead, feeling more comfortable sitting next to other people that drew the attention away from her. 

Every day was the same, but instead of eating in the classroom, she found a safe haven in a small empty music room upstairs. Whenever she was bored, she would just play a couple of songs until the bell rang for her to go to the next class. 

Time flew by and she felt like she was drifting through high school. She didn’t really care, no one she went to school with would remember her anyway. Miyeon started her 3rd and final year without having made any friends, actually scratch that, her whole life without so far without having any friends.

Again, she couldn’t really complain because she didn’t really care. Every time she tried to make friends, she ended up getting hurt. 

If there was something she was more afraid of than her peers, it was  _ interacting  _ with her peers. She hated being forced into a group with other people because she was so afraid things would return to how they were before she came here, as if her old life would come back. 

_ “Yeh Shuhua, Nicha Yontararak Minnie…” _ Her teacher was calling out names for some stupid project she didn’t want to do.  _ “And… Cho Miyeon.” _

Her head shot up at the mention of her name. _ Oh god, please no. _ She was so scared of Minnie. She didn’t know why popular people freaked her out so much, but they did. Maybe because they had more confidence than her, maybe because they were actually liked by other people, or maybe she was just afraid of people in general (the last one was definitely true). 

The bell dismissing them didn’t help break her trance. The fear bubbling up in her stomach only grew stronger as Shuhua walked up to her desk, Miyeon was shaking.

“Hi, I’m Shuhua!” She was way too hyper for a Monday afternoon. “I look forward to working with you!”

She waited for the other girl to laugh at her, call her names, hit her even, but nothing came. She was just giving her a megawatt smile and holding out a friendly hand. 

Shaking it, “Likewise…” 

“I don’t think I have your number yet…” She pulled her phone out of her expensive-looking backpack. “Do you mind coming over soon to work on the project?” 

Everything about this girl screamed rainbows and sunshine, calming Miyeon’s nerves a little bit. “Umm, s-sure.” She put her number under the name  _ Cho Miyeon _ . 

“Thanks!” Everything Shuhua said seemed like it was said in all caps. “I look forward to being your friend!”

A girl slinging her arm around Shuhua’s shoulder so suddenly made Miyeon jump.  _ Jesus Christ! Where’d she come from? _

It was a taller girl, her hair black and cut to shoulder length, bangs covered her forehead and she had a mole under her left eye. 

“You ready to go Shu?” 

“Yup! See ya later Miyeon!” And with that, she was gone. The other girl looked back at her before they left the empty classroom, sending chills down Miyeon’s spine. 

_ Calm down, breathe. There’s nothing to worry about, she seems nice. Calm down. _ Her chest felt tight and it was hard for her to breathe normally. 

Social anxiety. That’s what the doctor said it was, she never went to therapy (well she went once). Her grandma signed her up for one session just to try it out and Miyeon spent the entire appointment just sitting there, not saying a word to the nice lady asking her questions. 

She had medication, to calm her down and keep her emotions under wraps, but she still had that fear. She wasn’t afraid of being in big crowds like most people, she was just afraid that someone in that crowd would try to talk to her. 

Miyeon enjoyed silence, the only person she really talked to was Eunbin and she rarely talked to her. Looking down at her smartphone.

**Grandma [3:06 pm]**

Here :)

Waiting in the parking lot.

Locking her phone and packing her things away, she ran to her car. 

“Hello! How was your day, dear?”

“Okay…” She was deciding if she should tell her grandma she made a friend or not. “I-i made a friend today… Well, kinda.”

“Really? That’s great!” Eunbin ruffled her hair. “Who?”

“A girl named Yeh Shuhua.” 

“Ooo, daughter of Yeh Mark?” 

“I don’t know. We got paired in a class project together and she asked for my number.” She seemed way more confident talking about it now than she was a couple of minutes ago. 

“Daebak, so proud of you Miyeonnie! Let’s order tteokbokki to celebrate!” 

Coming home to Mochi running to her feet, wanting attention was satisfying, to say the least. Besides her grandma, Mochi was Miyeon’s favorite. He loved her unconditionally and never asked her questions, the perfect best friend. 

He laid on her bed while she attacked her homework vigorously for 2 hours, only taking a break when someone texted her. 

It felt weird seeing someone else besides her Grandma’s name in the messages app. 

**Yeh Shuhua :) [6:32 pm]**

Hi! 

I was wondering if you wanted to come over tmr 

after school? 

**Cho Miyeon [6:32 pm]**

Okay.

She cringed at her dry response, but she didn’t really know how to text. Sighing and pulling all her focus back onto her textbooks. 

___

Instead of loading into her grandma’s old Kia, she was sitting in Shuhua’s large black range rover, driven by her own personal driver. 

_ Geez, the inside of this car is bigger than my whole room… _ Miyeon sat, in awe. 

“Minnie says she’s coming over later, so we can start.” Shuhua let her into her house, two little dogs ran up to them. 

Miyeon completely forgot about her apparent uncomfortableness and started playing with her dogs in the middle of the foyer. 

“Oh, that’s Haku and that’s Mata!” She pointed to the black and cinnamon-colored poodles that were already settling in her lap. “Wow, they already love you!” 

She wished everyone was like Shuhua, she was so easy to talk to. Despite being rich and semi-famous, Shuhua was very down to earth and warming. They bonded over their common love for dogs and girl groups.

“No way! Jisoo’s my bias too!” Shuhua squealed. “I can’t believe you didn’t go to their last concert, I’m definitely taking you next time!” 

Their conversation was cut short by the doorbell, “Oh, Minnie must be here!” Shuhua jumped to feet. 

_ Minnie?  _ The only time she ever talked to Minnie was a couple of days ago when she showed up at the piano room. She spotted her spying on her from the corner of the door frame, she was expecting to get jumped, but she just asked her what song she was playing.  _ Weird. _

___

Minnie was weird, she kept staring at her and trying to talk to her.  _ Is she planning to murder me? _ Miyeon didn’t really feel like talking, she was just starting to warm up to Shuhua and now Minnie was bombarding her with questions.

She tried to shake it off when they were eating dinner, she ordered the ramen thanked Shuhua’s parents for the food. 

They spent the majority of their time at Shuhua’s working on the project, finishing the song lyrics. Minnie was surprisingly really good at it, her word choice was genius and made the song better than she imagined.

The time for her to go home was coming in fast as she received a text from Eunbin that she’d be coming to pick her up soon.

“Umm, Shuhua my grandma’s here.” She announced, breaking the long awkward spell. “Thank you for inviting me over.” She bowed, grabbing her stuff.

“No problem, Miyeonnie! You’re welcome any time!” Shuhua had already given her a nickname. 

“Actually, my driver’s here too. See ya at school Shu.” Minnie followed her out the door. 

The walk to Eunbin’s parked car seemed a mile away, shivering in her thin dress shirt.  _ I should’ve brought a jacket. _ She scolded herself. 

“Here.” Minnie was offering her the big beige sweater she was wearing all night. 

_ Huh? _ Was she giving it to her because she noticed she was cold? Were all the previous advances Minnie made an attempt to be friendly? Miyeon wasn’t dumb, she knew there were good people out there but she didn’t expect one of them to be  _ the _ Minnie Nicha Yontararak. 

Her cheeks burning in realization, all she could respond with was the shake of her head. 

“It’s fine see,” Minnie grabbed her hand and held it for a couple of seconds, warming her small cold one. Her skin burning up when they were briefly holding hands. “I’m not cold.”

Stunned, they stopped walking. Minnie draped her sweater over her frozen shoulders. She felt the same sensation in her stomach but instead of her limbs being drenched in anxiety, her heart raced. 

“Thank you.” She couldn’t bring herself to make eye contact with Minnie, afraid of how red her face looked right now, even though it was dark outside. 

“Is that your ride?” Minnie asked.

_ Oh no. _ She was waiting for her to make fun of her grandma’s worn SUV, compared to the luxury cars she probably rode in. But it didn’t come, she was just smiling at her. 

“...Yes.” Minnie was smiling at her so hard her eyes turned into little crescents. She seemed like a nice person, she really did but Miyeon was just out of practice and didn’t know what else to say. 

“Well, that’s my ride over there.” She pointed behind her to the black sleek car, headlights lowly shining on them. 

_ Maybe Minnie Nicha Yontararak isn’t that bad… _ “Goodbye, Minnie.” She tried her best to smile back, but it came out a bit forced and small. She quickly walked to her grandma’s car, hopefully Minnie didn’t think she was weird.

“Bye, Miyeon!” She called out after her. 

She had already opened the passenger’s side door, whipping her head around to the girl who was talking to her. Miyeon swears she felt her heart skip a beat. Even in the dark, Minnie seemed to shine brightly. She let out a little giggle, seeing the millionaire’s daughter wave enthusiastically at her. Waving back, she felt complete watching Minnie skip to her car, flashing her one last toothy smile before getting in and driving off. 

“Who was that? She seemed nice.” Eunbin tried to contain the overwhelming excitement she felt for her granddaughter. 

“Umm… A friend.”  _ A friend. _ She repeated in her head the whole ride home. Her heart still hadn’t calmed its pace and Miyeon pulled the sides of the sweater closer to her body. Even after taking a shower and climbing under her covers, her mind kept repeating it. 

She happily kicked her feet, bouncing on the small mattress, startling Mochi who was sleeping near her.  _ A friend. I have a friend! _

In her 15 years of living, no one ever tried to befriend her. And now she had two people who genuinely liked her. Who knew Mr.Lee picked the perfect group?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> twt: @akuma__jpg


	4. "With Past Memories That I Have"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SUPPORT OUT AMAZING GIRLS AND STREAM DUMDI DUMDI  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPQ5mqovXHo

Slamming her head down on her desk, she was stumped.  _ Ugh, my brain hurts… _ She had been trying to write a new song and the lyrics just weren’t sticking. Minnie had been distracted all week, constantly checking her phone, seeing if Miyeon texted her back and if so, falling down into an hour-long conversation with her. 

It was nice texting with her, Miyeon seemed more confident behind the screen. She liked waking up to the cute good morning texts and the crocodile emojis Miyeon would send her. Feeling a bit bold herself, she sent some clips of her songs to Miyeon and she would respond with her own input, helping her improve. 

She could now confidently call Miyeon her friend, she knew more things about her than she could count on her fingers. 

(Hell, Minnie even invited her to eat with her other friends. It was a bit awkward, she felt Miyeon tense up beside her in the packed lunchroom. She was already close to Shuhua, but she didn’t know Soojin or Yuqi. 

Yuqi, being Yuqi, introduced herself brightly and immediately took a liking to the shy Miyeon. Soojin, on the other hand, just sat next to Shuhua, silent, staring at the new person sitting at their table.)

The familiar high pitched ping noise erupts from her phone. Straightening out her posture, she checks her screen.

**Miyeon o(^-^)o [7:08 pm]**

Check out this piece I wrote earlier :P

[AUDIO FILE]

Minnie quickly opened the link Miyeon sent her. The first few seconds were completely silent, then a soft high key was being played. Closing her eyes, she pictured Miyeon sitting at her desk fluently pressing the plastic keys of her keyboard. Thin fingers dancing along with the white tiles, as she effortlessly played an angelic melody. 

It was beautiful, to say the least, the short song she played was soft and slow, it had an upbeat lift to it but Minnie thought it had a melancholy undertone to it. The gears in her head-turning, she started humming along with the recording, words forming to fit the pace. 

The devil works hard but Minnie works harder, she sings along to the song Miyeon made with lyrics she came up within minutes. 

**Minnie ( ✌︎'ω')✌︎ [7:15pm]**

It sounds great :)

Wrote some lyrics to go along with it

[AUDIO FILE]

**Miyeon o(^-^)o [7:19 pm]**

WOW! 

So good!!!! 

**Minnie ( ✌︎'ω')✌︎ [7:20 pm]**

Ik, we should make songs together more often ٩(๑❛ᴗ❛๑)۶

**Miyeon o(^-^)o [7:20 pm]**

We should ∩^ω^∩

It was easy to admit that she was also more confident over the phone. Minnie used to think her social skills were up to par when it came to communicating with people her age, but that had all gone into the toilet when she met Miyeon. She’d become a flustered mess around her and couldn’t form full sentences without blushing. 

(Her friends only made it worse, teasing her panicked state when Miyeon left for her next class.

_ “Ahaha, you’ve got it so bad.” _ Yuqi would tease her once the other girl was out of sight.

_ “Shut up, not like you’re any better…”  _ Minnie refused, but her tomato-red face begged to differ.)

They texted until 4 am, sending each other bits and pieces to go along with the song they started working on together. Minnie didn’t even realize how much time passed until her mom came up to her room telling her to start getting ready for school. 

_ Oh shit, it’s morning already? _ She was engrossed in editing her song when her mom called on her to get dressed. 

___

She may have not been tired last night, but she sure was now. Who would’ve thought staying up all night writing lyrics would have her mentally and physically drained. She fell asleep on the car ride to school, only being jostled awake when the vehicle lurched to a stop. Seeing Miyeon waiting for her at the entrance sure woke her up in a flash, as she bounded the steps two at a time just to catch up. 

“Good morning Minnie!” She greeted brightly, people around her giving her weird looks showing they’ve never heard her talk to anyone ever. 

“Mornin. Hope you weren’t waiting too long.” Linking their arms as she lead them further inside. Hopefully, her and Miyeon being new buddies would show people that Miyeon wasn’t weird, that she was just a normal girl.

Shuhua had her hands locked with Soojin, fingers hugging each other. She didn’t miss the way Miyeon detached herself from her when Soojin came into view, but she didn’t bring it up. 

“Hello Minmin, Miyeon.” Shuhua said their names in a sly tone that implied much more than said, Minnie’s cheeks heating up.

“H-hi Shuhua.” Miyeon croaked, not daring to make eye contact with Soojin. “Umm, I’ve got to head to my next class… Bye.” She sped off down the hallway. 

“Miyeon seems to be warming up to you, huh?” Shuhua lands a light punch to Minnie’s left side. 

“Yah! Cut it out Shu, you’re making things weird.” She pretend pouted as she grabbed her books from her locker. 

Although Minnie considered herself on the more athletic side, but she was too tired to engage in the team sports happening on the school’s bright green soccer field. Instead taking a seat with Soojin in the shade. 

This was the only period she and Soojin had together and they were spending it basking in the cool evening. 

“Do you like Miyeon?” She blurts out of nowhere, cutting the unspoken tension between them. Soojin had been a bit distant ever since Miyeon was introduced to the group.

“W-what!” She hid behind her hands, smacking the older girl’s shoulder for asking such a blunt question. “What makes you think that?”

“I don’t know, isn’t third year a bit late to make new friends?”

Soojin was right, by now everyone her age was already settled into their little groups. But she wasn’t going to admit that she was trying so hard because she liked Miyeon, no way in hell. 

“Y-yeah, but… she doesn’t have anyone to hang out with anyway.” Her voice coming out smaller than she liked. 

“Don’t you think there’s a reason behind it, though?”

Damn, did Soojin dislike Miyeon that much? Why was she so bent out of shape about them being friends? Everyone else seemed fine with Miyeon, yet there was still Soojin giving her weird glances at lunch, making her uncomfortable. 

“Do you know a reason, Soo?” 

“I mean- I don’t know…” She was dancing around what she so visibly wanted to say. “I heard her mom killed herself, and that she comes from a shady background…”

_ What? _ Now Minnie was starting to get pissed off, “What the hell, Soojin? Would you like it if people said things and assumed shit behind your back, instead of asking you to your face?”

“.......”

“Cause that’s what Miyeon has to deal with. People pretending they know all about her when in reality they don’t know jack shit!” 

(In one of their 2 am text conversations, Miyeon confided in her that she didn’t have any parents and lived solely with her grandma. That night she learned about her mother’s passing and her dad leaving. She felt the strong urge to protect Miyeon after that, wanting every one of her days to be filled with laughter and smiles.)

“Minnie, calm down…” People around them were starting to stare.

“Why do you hate her so much? She didn’t do anything to you? Jesus christ Seo Soojin, she has no friends! You were the exact same way before you met Shuhua! And now you’re acting all high and mighty like you’re better than her.” She stormed off, as soon as the bell rang, Soojin just sitting in shock of her sudden outburst. 

Her whole body felt hot, she was so angry. Why did she care where Miyeon came from, what her parents did? It’s not like Miyeon was a bad person, the exact opposite actually. So what if she came from a dark place? Miyeon shined brighter regardless, she was a sweet and kind person who didn’t deserve to be second-guessed by strangers determining the social food chain. Her anger dampened once she saw Miyeon waiting for her outside the locker rooms. 

“Hey.” Miyeon beamed, warming her heart. 

“Wanna eat lunch in the piano room today?” She really didn’t feel like being in the same room as Soojin. 

“Sure, why?” 

“Nothing,” She lied. “Just kinda miss it there. Andddd we can play that new song we wrote.” Feeling accomplishment when her face contorts into a happier expression. 

And Soojin tries not to let the guilt hit her when Miyeon and Minnie are missing from their spots at there table during lunch.

___

“Miyeon-ah, are you afraid of Soojin?” Minnie didn’t want to be talking about this, but her curiosity won over her consciousness. 

Noticeably cringing at the mention of the other girl, Miyeon can’t avoid Minnie’s question. “Umm… N-no. Why?” She seemed unsure. 

“I don’t know,” she huffed. “She was saying some weird stuff about you.” 

“L-like what?” Her hands trembled as she tried to pick up a piece of seaweed with her chopsticks.

“Miyeon?”

Her face turned stone cold, “What did she say, Minnie?” Miyeon insisted.

“She just said stuff about your mom and past.” The other girl’s eyes getting glossy around the rims. “Miyeon?”

The tears fall and Miyeon’s head hangs low on her shoulders, chestnut hair draping over her figure. Minnie hoped the look on her face wasn’t too dumb because she didn’t know what was happening. 

She cried in complete silence, save for a few sniffles here and there, and Minnie didn’t know what to do. 

Worrying, she pulls her into her embrace not caring that she flinched under her arms, “Hey, it’s okay. Soojin can be an asshole sometimes but she’s not that bad just… protective sometimes.” 

Miyeon stopped shaking, looking up at her with her slightly red eyes, “What?” Miyeon looked at her like she was from another planet like she was crazy. 

“I know she may seem like she’s all tough, but Soojin’s a softie.” She tried to lighten the mood. 

“You don’t… hate me?”

“What? Why would I hate you?” Minnie was very, very confused.

“Because of m-my…” 

“Your parents? No way, what’s that got to due with us being friends?” Minnie was right, no one would hate her unless they were trying to target her specifically. “Miyeon, I like you. I’m not going to stop being around you just for something that happened in the past, and something you had no control over.” 

She broke out in tears again, but this time they weren’t tears of sorrow, they were tears of relief. Minnie tried her best to soothe the mess Miyeon was. Showing her funny dog videos, letting herself breathe once Miyeon let out a few giggles.

___

Maybe Miyeon expected for her new friends to turn on her, to laugh at her. She was so afraid that people would think ill of her. From the moment Soojin pulled her aside to “talk”, her pessimism reacted. 

“Hey, did you by any chance go to YG high school before coming here?” Soojin said, her features casting a dark seriousness (this was right after they had lunch together for the first time).

_ Oh no. _ “Y-yes.” 

“Did you know a girl named Shin Jimin?” 

What were the odds that someone from her old school knew those horrible girls that almost killed her? She shouldn’t be as surprised as she was now, Jimin was as popular as she was nasty. 

She gulped, hoping Soojin didn’t hear it, she just nodded. 

Soojin stepped away from her, rubbing her temples, “That makes sense.”

Jimin was a horrible person. For the short time she knew her, she made her life a living hell. She would tease her, ask her about how she found her mom hanging by her neck in her bedroom in front of the whole class, joke about how why her dad left her. 

She couldn’t read the expression on Soojin’s face, whether it was malice or indifference but she left her alone after that. She would give her icy stares during lunch, while Minnie was trying to get her attention next to her. Scared to death that Soojin would lash out like Jimin, she kept her distance between her. 

Half expecting Soojin to confront her again that day, until Minnie said she wanted to eat lunch somewhere else.

___

In Soojin’s defense, Jimin was never a close friend. She just hung around her in middle school so she wouldn’t be a victim of her bullying. She never supported the relentless tormenting Jimin would engage in, but she was too scared to do anything about it. 

She hoped they’d lose touch since they weren’t going to the same high schools but much to her chagrin, Jimin had an odd obsession with her. She would flirt and shower her with compliments and it made her sick, she wanted nothing to do with that rotten person Jimin was on the inside. 

Subject to listening to the trash Jimin and her friends would talk in their group chat was almost unbearable. 

_ “I heard that bitch’s mom killed her self lol”  _ One of Jimin’s goons texted.

_ “I would too if I gave birth to such an ugly baby” _ God, when will these girls grow up.

The dirty messages only stopped when Miyeon fell, she didn’t know all the details since she didn’t go to YG but Jimin and her friends were to blame. The chat was then filled with nonstop griping, Jimin got a year of detention and community service.

But that was nearly 3 years ago, it was only brought to Soojin’s attention when Jimin DMed her recently. 

_ “Hey, I did a little research and turns out that little rat from 1st year goes to your school.” _ The message spilling with Jimin’s trademarked negativity.  _ “Give her hell for me.” _

That was the last message Jimin sent her before Soojin blocked her. She didn’t know much about Miyeon, only the bad things Jimin said. 

According to Jimin, Miyeon’s mom was a prostitute before she killed herself, her dad left when she was young, and Miyeon was smart, good at the piano. She also told her that she was a “conceded bitch”, “ugly little princess”, and “teacher’s pet”. 

Soojin wasn’t dumb, she knew the reason people bullied others was because they themselves were jealous. Jimin was probably jealous that Miyeon was a successful person that didn’t give in to her annoyance. But apart of her couldn’t help but imagine this girl as some snooty music prodigy, jading her views on Miyeon before she even got to know her. 

She was starting to understand where Minnie was coming from, she let Jimin get to her before she could see Miyeon for herself. 

It was the next day and Minnie was avoiding Soojin like the plague. She was still mad and wasn’t in the mood for Soojin’s antics. But it was pretty hard to avoid someone you’re paired up with in sports. Especially when she was trying to make extreme eye contact with her.

“Minnie, I’m sorry.” Her stare was burning wholes into her the back of her head. “Minnie,”

“What, Soojin?” Minnie’s tone was firm. 

“Listen, I know what I said was a bit… rash, but I didn’t know.” 

She couldn’t argue with reason, people made mistakes. And Minnie missed her friend, even though it had only been one day. That’s how teenagers are, they fight and makeup under 48 hours. 

“It’s fine Soosoo, but I’m not the one you should be apologizing too.” Referring to Miyeon. 

Minnie gave her a heads up that Miyeon loved bubble tea, she had ordered drinks for all her friends, kindly offering one to her at lunch. It was her extending her an olive branch, she just wanted to forgive and forget. She never knew the right words to say. Hopefully, this would give off the impression that she was sorry. 

Much to her surprise, she and Miyeon were very alike. They were both very quiet and kept to themselves, but found solace in each other’s comfortable silence. And at the end of the day, she was happy with the new addition of their group. 

___

Miyeon should’ve seen it coming. She’d been comfortable for too long, she even made a few friends. The second she got home and saw an envelope with the name  _ Cho Taemin _ written as the sender, she had been nonstop pacing in her bedroom. 

Eunbin wouldn’t be home for a couple of hours and she wanted to text her but she couldn’t. Her grandma  _ hated _ her dad, she blamed everything on him. If it wasn’t for him, Seungyeon would still be here. But Miyeon still thought of Taemin as her favorite person, she cherished all their memories together and kept them locked away in her heart. 

She hadn’t heard anything from him for 14 years. She didn’t really know who he was or what he did now, she didn’t even know if he was alive. But the letter sitting on her desk was living proof that he was. 

Mochi was whining from his little dog bed, he didn’t like seeing her in this state of distress. Having enough of this mental tug-o-war, she rips open the letter. The paper was old, coffee-stained, and it crinkled under her fingertips. 

_ My love, _

_ I know it’s been a while. _

_ I may have not been the best dad, but I just wanted to check-in. How’s your mom? I heard a little while back that you guys started living with Eunbin, I hope you’re doing well. If it’s not too much to ask, I’d like to see you sometime. And if it’s not too much trouble, you can contact me on this number ***-***-****. _

_ See you hopefully soon, your father. _

The nervousness in her stomach hadn’t died down, it grew in fact. She should’ve been happy that her dad was finally reaching out, but instead, she felt angry. Why now after all these years? Did he need money? Did he not know about her mom? Feeling a surge of rashness, she dialed his number and bluntly told him she’d meet at a cafe nearby this weekend. 

The reply was almost instant. He sent her a little thumbs-up emoji and her mood couldn’t help but soften. Maybe he just wanted to reconnect? Whether she wanted to deny it or not, she was starved of unconditional love. Sure Eunbin cared for her, but she felt like she pitied her more than anything, rather than accepting her. She was a mistake, after all. She had always felt out of place. 

Miyeon was always envious of kids who’s parents went with them on school trips, she didn’t have parents that were there for her. Even seeing kids on children’s day being showered with love and affection made her resentful of her existence. 

Maybe things would change for the better, by now she forgot why she was mad her dad. Things were going to be ok, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> gonna start doing on again off again angst for this fic to keep things interesting, buckle your seat belts cause its gonna be a bumpy ride.


	5. "Even If We're Hugging I Want To Be Closer To You"

She couldn’t stop fidgeting. Miyeon got to the cafe an hour early in fear that she was going to be late. She barely got sleep the night before too. It was Wednesday when she got the letter and two days flashed before her eyes. The next thing she knew, she was sitting at a two-person table in a small local cafe. 

(Miyeon was all nerves on Friday, she texted Minnie right after she invited her dad out and the girl was supportive. Scratch that, all her friends were supportive. Yuqi and Soyeon (Yuqi’s new girlfriend) brought her sweet snacks that they shared it during homeroom, Soojin recommended other nice cafes for the next time they met, Shuhua hyped her up, and Minnie distracted her by making new songs for them to play together. 

It lightened the lingering uneasiness when Soyeon was added to the picture. She and Soyeon were the newest additions to the long-established friend group. She liked Soyeon, they talked about the piano and certain song compositions assigned in the school band and she was surprisingly good at it. 

The only downfall was that everyone was coupled up except for her and Minnie. Shuhua was dating Soojin and Yuqi was dating Soyeon, she and Minnie couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable in the couple’s atmosphere. But regardless, she was lucky to have such a great support system behind her.

_ “Goodluck Miyeonnie! Fighting!” _ They cheered for her before the bell rang on Friday.)

Checking her phone for what seemed like the millionth time that hour, it was a minute before he was supposed to arrive. On the dot, a tall lanky man with mid-length hair walks in. The little bell above the door rang, announcing his arrival. 

_ He looks… the same. _ He looked younger even, the deep eyebags she remembers looking down at her when she was a kid had all but disappeared now, he wore a subtle smile on his lips when he caught her gaze. It had been 14 years, but he identified her immediately. Sauntering over, he bows and takes a seat across from her. 

“You look just like your mother.” He greets, holding out his hand. 

She shakes it, not really not knowing what to respond with. 

“So… how have you been?” He leans back slightly. 

“Good.”

“You’re in high school right?”

“Yes.” Her short responses didn’t deter him from carrying the conversation. 

“How’s your mom?” 

“She’s dead.” Miyeon returned, automatically.

“Oh… I’m sorry.” He was starting to squirm in his seat, guilt written on his face. “Have you ordered yet?”

“No.”

“What would you like, it’s on me.” He was back to his happy go lucky state.

They ordered their drinks, returning back to their eats and a blanketed quietness fell. Neither of them knew what to say. Taemin didn’t know who she was and the same went for Miyeon, her discrete replies weren’t helping either. 

When their drinks came, nothing changed. They sipped in silence, Taemin glancing at a toddler holding hands with their mom, passing by. 

“I remember when you were that little.” He smiled softly.

“.......”

“Miyeon-ah, what do you like to do for fun these days?”

“Play the piano.” She was swirling the remaining liquid in her cup with her straw, chin resting in her hand that was propped up on the table. 

“That’s great!” He seemed awfully chipper for someone having heard about his late girlfriend’s passing 30 minutes before. “You know, I play for a living.”

“Really?” She tried to sound interested, this meeting was lackluster to what she expected it to be. Having already lost interest in him. 

“Yeah, I play for the Seoul orchestra.” He was scrolling through his phone to find a picture. “Look, this was at our most recent show.” 

It was a picture of him dressing in a black and white formal suit, he was holding a bouquet of roses in the concert hall. Squinting her eyes, she further inspected the picture. There was a slender woman with slick black hair, dressed in a blue elegant dress holding his left arm and taking the picture, to his right was a young girl smiling into the camera. The girl heavily resembled the other woman, her eyes were scrunched up into a smile so she couldn’t make out her features properly, she had long black hair as well.

Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.  _ Who are these people? _ She looked away from the phone to the hand that was holding it, and low and behold, there it was. On Taemin’s ring finger was a modern gold ring.  _ Oh. _ Sensing her discomfort, he retracted the device, the look of guilt present again. 

“Who are those people?” Miyeon asked when she already knew the answer, she just wanted to hear her dad say it.

“T-that’s my wife and… daughter.” He looked ashamed before her, like he had committed a crime. The words smelting themselves into her brain, she felt a burning sensation rip through her chest. Her heart pounded in her ears as her heart felt unusually heavy.

She let his words sink in for a whole 3 minutes before calculating her next move. Miyeon simply stood up and walked out of the cafe, not giving him another glance. 

“Miyeon, w-wait! I can explain!” He called after her from his seat. 

She didn’t even feel the tears spilling from her eyes until they dripped off her chin.  _ He left us for them? He abandoned me for her? I truly am a mistake. _ She felt worthless. He forgot about her for 14 years. What was he doing while she and her mom were struggling? He was with another woman. She felt cheated, like the dirty little failure she was. 

Running the whole way home, she opened her front door only to be greeted with her grandma sitting at the dinner table, cutting out coupons. 

“Miyeon-ah? What happened?” She was gesturing to her granddaughter’s disheveled state, her red eyes, runny nose, and rushed appearance. 

She didn’t tell Eunbin that she was meeting with her dad, instead, she said she was hanging out with some friends. 

“M-my dad, he-” She struggled to say, tears only threatening to come out more aggressively.

Pulling her into a comforting hug, Eunbin shushed her and helped her calm down. They stayed like that for a little bit, just until Miyeon could form full sentences.

“What happened?” Her grandma tried again.

“Dad sent me a letter a couple of days ago, saying he wanted to meet up.” She was petting Mochi, who crawled into her lap on the couch. “So I met with him today.”

“Did he hurt you? I swear to god I’ll kill him if he-”

“No, he just wanted to talk.” 

“Are you ok?”

“He has a new family.” She felt a small sting in her chest again, it was becoming harder to breathe the more she thought about it.

“Oh,” was all Eunbin could muster. She was a medical doctor, she dealt with people’s bodies, not people’s feelings, so she didn’t really know how to comfort her evidently upset granddaughter. 

For the rest of the night, they stayed huddled up on the couch, watching old Disney movies. Eunbin didn’t want to leave Miyeon’s side in fear that she would break down again, so she ordered take out and stayed the night in. 

___

Minnie hadn’t heard from Miyeon since Friday night when she wished her a good night. It was now Monday and she wasn’t anywhere to be found in the morning. She was already grumpy, she didn’t get any sleep the night before, staying up all night waiting for her favorite band’s music video release only for it to be delayed for 12 hours. 

She just thought Miyeon was running late that day.  _ Maybe she accidentally slept in? _ But she wasn’t there during lunch either. It didn’t help that she wasn’t answering her phone either.

“Where’s Miyeon?” Shuhua slid into her seat at their table. 

“I don’t know, I guess she didn’t come to school today.” Minnie grumbled.

“Did her meeting with her dad go well?” Soojin was now asking.

“I also don’t know, she’s not answering her phone.” 

“Hmm?” Yuqi looked like she was thinking too hard. “How about you visit her after school?” 

“I don’t know where she lives.” Minnie sighed, defeated. 

“Didn’t you take her home before, dummy.” Soojin reminded.

“Ooooh yeah.” She really was thick brained. 

Minnie asked her driver to take her to Miyeon’s place after her classes were done, she only started second-guessing herself when she was at the entrance. Checking the building directory, she scanned over the list, eyes stopping at the name  _ Cho apt 325. _

There was no lock on the lobby door, so she let herself in, pressing the elevator button up to the 3rd floor. God forbid she comes empty-handed, she picked up Miyeon’s favorite drink before coming, it was sitting in one of those drink cartons, dangling from her left hand. Hesitant to ring the doorbell, she was way more nervous than she needed to be. 

Pressing down on the white doorbell, Minnie waited a couple of seconds before the door opened, revealing Miyeon standing on the other side, wearing simple striped pajamas. 

“Minnie?” She looked confused as to why she was standing on her doorstep.

“Hi, you weren’t at school today so I brought you some boba.” She held up the plastic bag. 

Taking it, “Thank you, wanna come in?”

“Sure.”

She expected to be lead into Miyeon’s room but instead, they were sitting on her small balcony. Her house was nice, it wasn’t too small and it was very clean. One thing that Minnie thought was a bit odd was that all the doors were opened, it made the airflow through the seemingly hollow apartment. 

Taking a seat next to her on the outdoor bench, Miyeon’s eyes were kind of red and puffy, she looked tired, like she had been crying all day. 

“How was Saturday?” 

Minnie wasn’t einstein, but she saw how Miyeon’s mood soured at the mention of her planned date last weekend. 

“Not good.”

“Oh?”  _ Was that why she didn’t come to school today? _

“He has a new family.” She looked angry almost like she despised the idea altogether.

“Wanna talk about it?” She started digging through the plastic bad. “I’m a good listener.” She offered a drink and a small strawberry pastry to the girl, with a smile. 

They talked for what seemed like hours, Miyeon didn’t cry once. She just told her how disappointed she was with her dad. 

“I mean what did I expect? For him to come back like everything was normal?” Miyeon said in a sick sarcastic tone.

“Well, it’s not wrong to assume those things,” Minnie took a small bite from her pastry. “He is your dad after all. Do you know what he wanted to talk about?”

“No,” she seemed shy. “I left before he could tell me. Before he was just trying to make small talk.” 

“Hmmm.” She hummed in acknowledgment. 

___

The sun was setting in front of them, she didn’t even notice when Miyeon started leaning on her. Her head felt so light resting on her shoulder, she could smell her lavender shampoo. It was only a matter of time until Miyeon’s grandma came home, this was her apartment after all. 

“Miyeon?” She called for her from the kitchen, she instantly regretted it after her once she saw her and a friend scramble to their feet, separating themselves. 

“H-hi, grandma.” 

“Who’s your friend?” She couldn’t fight the smile rising on her cheeks. It only took Miyeon 17 years to find a good person to be around, and she was so happy for her.

“This is Minnie.”

“It’s nice to meet you Ms.Cho.” She bowed.

“Oh nonsense, call me Eunbin. Its been a while since Miyeon’s had a friend over, why don’t you stay for dinner?” 

_ It’s been forever since I’ve had a friend over, grandma. _ Miyeon thought. 

“I wouldn’t want to impose…”

“Don’t be silly, I always make too much anyways.”

“Thank you.” She felt Miyeon tugging on her sleeve, directing her in the direction of her room. 

___

Miyeon’s room was almost as cute as she was. Right across from her door was her electronic keyboard and on the wall next to it was her small desk, there were music sheets scattered all over the small surface. Her bed was on the opposite wall, it was a small twin bed decked out in soft flower sheets. There was a snow-white Shiba sleeping in a dog bed near her desk that jumped up and started chasing Minnie’s feet. 

“Is this Mochi?” Miyeon had often gushed how cute her dog was over text and even sent a few cute pictures too. 

“Mhm,” She smiled from behind her, happy that Mochi liked Minnie. 

“Is that your piano?”

“Yeah, want me to play something?”

“Sure.”

She took a seat on the small little bench, cracking her fingers and straightening out her posture as she got ready to play. The song she played for her was more upbeat ad hopeful from the first time she played. There was a happier tilt to the piece, but the notes still a little sorrowful. 

The music Miyeon made was a perfect reflection of herself, Minnie learned. It was delicate yet rugged, light and heavy at the same time. Miyeon wasn’t very good at expressing herself through words, but her emotion was shown through the notes she played. Nearing the end of the score, she took a deep breath and put her hands in her lap.

“Wow…” Minnie was dumbfounded at how natural and graceful she was.

“You say that every time,” Miyeon teased.

“But it’s good every time you play,” she pouted. 

_ “Girls! Dinner’s ready!” _ Her grandma called from the kitchen.

“So, I hear you’re good at making music like Miyeon over here.” Eunbin started once they all sat down with their plates.

“Yeah, I’ve been making music since I was young.” Minnie felt like she could talk comfortably with her already. 

“That’s nice, I’m glad you two have something in common. Miyeon’s always in her room with her headphones on, making something.” 

Miyeon was picking at her food. Instead of stying quiet the whole time, all three of them fell into a nice conversation and Minnie didn’t even realize it was 8 already. 

“Oh, excuse me I think it’s time for me to get home. My mom’s probably wondering where I am.” Minnie bids a farewell. 

“Well, it was nice having you around! Come back anytime.” 

“I’ll walk you out.” Miyeon grabbed her sweater and wrapped herself up in it.

Miyeon helped guide her out of the building, “Is that mine?” Minnie motioned to the jacket she was wearing.

“Oh yeah, I forgot to return it-” She was starting to take it off.

“No, no you can keep it. It looks better on you anyway.” She smiled at the latte colored fuzzy material hanging on her figure. “Thank you for having me over, your grandma’s a really good cook.”

“Thanks. I was kind of down and seeing you made me feel better.” 

Her cheeks were burning. Lately, Miyeon had been saying some pretty sweet things. The black car pulling up saved her from trying to come up with a response.

“Well, goodbye. See you tomorrow!” 

“Bye Minnie.” She chuckled at Minnie’s obvious flustered state.

___

Having Miyeon back by her side felt right, the way they would joke and tease each other in the hallways felt automatic. 

“Miyeonnie! You’re back!” Shuhua pulled her into a bone-crushing hug and Soojin laughed at the surprised look on her face when Shuhua squeezed the air out of her.

“Glad to have you back, Miyeon.” Soojin smiled.

“Calm down, I was just gone for one day.” 

“But I missed you,” Shuhua wined. 

“I’m not going anywhere.” She patted the Taiwanese girl’s head. 

Shuhua finally let go, “Yuqi just texted me, she’s out front with Soyeon.”

They went to the font of the school, she saw Yuqi get out of a black tesla with Soyeon following behind. There was something that caught her eye, the man dropping her off looked familiar… 

“Bye, dad!” Soyeon called before closing the door. 

She froze. 

_ Dad? _ It was Taemin driving. He looked out the window before driving off, and locked eyes with Miyeon. 

Minnie, noticing the very out of it Miyeon, “Miyeon?”

“That’s my father…” She was still staring at the man in the car. He was dressed in a formal white shirt, a couple of buttons undone at the top, with his hair slicked back and he wore an expensive gold watch that matched his ring. 

“What? That’s Soyeon’s dad.” If Minnie had a dollar for every time she was confused, she’d be richer than she already was. 

_ Oh no. _ Instead of driving off, he moved to park his car, he was now walking towards them. 

“Dad?” Soyeon looked up at him. 

It was funny, it really was. How could Soyeon not know? Was Miyeon hidden away from her, was she unaware of her existence in his life? Did he not tell her he had another daughter? The fact alone that Miyeon looked very much like Taemin wasn’t helping. They had the same long nose and slim figures, but Taemin’s hair was stark black but hers was a softer tone of brown. 

He stopped in his tracks, towering over Miyeon. He looked apologetic and guilty, she was starting to only associate those expressions to him, since he used them so much. 

“......” She didn’t want to talk to him. Miyeon was perfectly fine completely cutting him out of her life and living as she did before.

Minnie’s chest hurt, she knew the pain he had projected on her, how Miyeon felt about it all. She revealed it to her last night, that she felt out of place when she was around him. Like she was just being strung along since he had a new family to come home to, like she was misfit that wasn’t welcomed. 

If you were able to look up the word misery in the dictionary, it’d be a picture of Miyeon’s face right now. She looked down at her shoes, eyes beginning to feel watery. 

“...Miyeon.” Was all Taemin could fit in before she ran off again. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The band that Minnie was waiting for was Red Velvet Irene & Seulgi...


	6. "I Can't Help But Cry, Tears Under My Feet"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's about to get... angsty

Jeon Soyeon was born in the high-end part of Seoul. Her real dad died before she was born, he had an inseparable love for cigarettes that eventually killed him, and her mom ran an extravagant hotel for Korea’s elite. 

Call her lucky, but she had a pretty decent childhood. Granted, she was only a young adult, but she was always happy. Her mom met her new dad when he was spotted playing piano in the hotel’s lobby, she always did have an affinity for classical music. Soyeon was only 3 years at the time and didn’t really know what was going on. Who was this man? Why did he make her mom so happy? She hadn’t seen her mom laugh like that, ever. 

From what her parents told her, it was love at first sight. Her new dad came from a more modest part of the city and loved music all his life, he just didn’t have the resources to pursue it. That was until he met her mom, Jieun. She loved hearing him play, Jieun introduced him to the most successful music patrons and helped his dreams come true. When they married, gladly took her last name. 

Taemin was always so gentle with her, Soyeon’s favorite was when he would put her on his shoulders and carry her around. He taught her how to play the piano, made her fall in love with it. They would sit and practice on the black grand one in their penthouse living room. 

She loved the way his hands would fit over hers and help guide to press down the right keys when she got lost, and his patience when teaching her a particularly hard song. Soyeon inherited his talent and his compassion towards music, and played ever since she learned how to walk. 

Being considered a young musical prodigy, she passed the entrance exams for CUBE academy, earning a hefty scholarship along the way. She made a big splash on her first day, auditioning for the school orchestra with an original piece her dad composed, it’s difficult mastery and beautiful progressions helped her sweep the competition. 

The only other person that made the cut for the piano position, her first year, was some girl that transferred mid-semester. Soyeon remembers looking at her during rehearsals. She reminded her of someone, she just couldn’t put her finger on it. The girl’s name was Cho Miyeon, she often had a habit of playing the piano with her eyes closed since she had committed every single note to memory. 

When her parents came to her first show, she was ecstatic to showcase her talent in front of so many people. Her and Miyeon would be playing pianos 1 and 2 in the front of the formation. Miyeon didn’t normally talk and that night she was nowhere to be found until Soyeon was sent to look for her, the show was starting in 5 minutes. 

She heard groans coming from the bathroom stall, Miyeon was throwing up. It was painful, hearing the girl go at it so violently. She waited outside until she was done, escorting her to the main stage when she finally came out. 

Despite Miyeon’s nervous demeanor, she played flawlessly. And although Soyeon’s hidden pride would never let her admit this, Miyeon played better than her. Sure, Soyeon had years of practice and professional training but there was something she was lacking in her performance that Miyeon had. 

There was something about the way Miyeon played, she pressed down on the keys like she and the piano were one, similar to the way her dad played. When she played, it was an extension of herself, Soyeon and the audience noticed that.

Finally, the other girl retracted her hands from the piano, signaling the end of her piece, and the crowd was moved to tears. Soyeon saw a different Miyeon then. Her chest heaving, small beads of sweat traveling down the back of her neck, cheeks were red, and her pupils were blown out. 

She never saw Miyeon at the piano positioned across from hers after that. She was moved to be the section leader for the violin, all the way in the back. Similar to the piano, Miyeon played the violin effortlessly. Even from the back, she stood out in all their concerts. 

Throughout the years, Miyeon would win countless awards from the teacher.  _ “Excellence In Musicianship”, “Rookie Of The Year”, “Grand Music Award”. _ She always beat Soyeon when it came to the end of the year achievements. But outside of the concert hall and music room, no one recognized Miyeon’s talent. Soyeon gathered all the attention, being the charming lead pianist she was. 

She guessed Miyeon didn’t mind since she always got red-faced when being called up for recognition, she never showed up to any of the after-parties or socialized with the bandmates in her section. 

Soyeon paid her no mind until she was introduced to her again when she sat with her new girlfriend’s group of friends. She seemed so much brighter than when she performed, like she was actually happy. Hell, Miyeon even talked to her first, asking how the piano was going for her and giving her some tips that would come in handy. 

All these years, she didn’t know who Miyeon resembled until her dad got out of his car and approached her. 

_ Why do they look so similar? _ Taemin may have not been her biological father, but he was Soyeon’s dad through and through. He raised her, he loved her, he showed her the world, and here he was, seemingly the parent of her new friend as well. 

“...Miyeon,” he reached out to the high school girl. 

The smile on Miyeon’s face instantly fell at the sight of him, she turned and sprinted back into the building, without responding. 

___

Miyeon fan so fast, she could’ve made it on the varsity track team. There was no one chasing her, just loud shouts telling her to stop running in the hallways. She locked herself in the janitor’s supply closet and shut off the dim light that was hanging overhead. 

Sinking down against the closed door, she hugged her knees close to her chest, hyperventilating. Everything hurt, her legs burned, her lungs were needy for more air, her eyes stung, and she felt a heavy migraine coming on. It was hard to breathe, every time she tried to take in more air her lungs rejected it and closed off. 

She was starting to feel light-headed and nauseous, her shoulders heaved roughly as she tried to silently wail in the small space she was in that smelled like bleach and window cleaner. Only when she heard a soft rap on the door behind her did she stop crying. 

_ “Miyeon?” _ Minnie whispered.  _ “Can you let me in?” _

Getting up on her feet and slowly unlocking the door, her eyes squinted when the door opened. Minnie carefully squeezed in through the crack and closed the door again. The small light coming from the crack underneath the door vaguely it up Miyeon’s wet cheeks. 

Miyeon knew what Minnie was going to say,  _ “Are you ok?”, “Why are you crying?”, “Don’t be sad.” _ , because that’s what everyone said. But she didn’t, Minnie just wrapped her arms tightly around her sides, her chin resting on her shoulder. 

Letting herself come undone, she sobbed into Minnie’s shirt, dampening the white material. Minnie softly stroked her hair and whispered kind words into her ears until Miyeon could finally breathe. 

“Thank you, Minnie.” 

“Any time, pabo.” She teased.

“Yah!” Miyeon laughed. 

They waited for passing period to end and for the footsteps outside the closet to die down before exiting the cramped room. Minnie was still holding her hand when they got outside, Miyeon wiped the remaining tears left on her face and looked back at her.

“Sorry, I got your shirt wet.” She apologized.

“It’s okay, I don’t mind.” Catching Miyeon off guard, she leaned in a planted a soft kiss on her cheek. “Feel better, Miyeon-ah.” 

Without sparing her another glance, Minnie left for her next class. Leaving Miyeon utterly speechless in her shoes. From when she was once sad like 10 minutes ago, Minnie turned her into a blushing mess, instantly. 

_ Minnie Nicha Yontararak, you really are something else, huh? _ She thought to herself, unconsciously rubbing her cheek. 

___

No one gave her weird looks when she showed up to class 5 minutes late, or when her eyes were red and puffy from her breakdown earlier. She carried on her business normally, drifting from class to class. The only time she was a bit hesitant was when she was going through her locker to her 4th period, orchestra. 

Soyeon would obviously have some questions for her, ones Miyeon felt were hard to answer. But she needed to get going, she wasn’t about to get scolded by her favorite teacher over some family drama. 

Low and behold, Jeon Soyeon, leaning against the wall in the empty hidden hallway. She didn’t look happy, she looked rather pissed actually. 

“Yah, Cho Miyeon.” Her tone made Miyeon flinch, giving her unpleasant flashbacks to when she was bullied. “How do you know my dad?” 

She sounded pretty bitter for someone who was supposed to be her friend. Miyeon didn’t want to be talking about this, she just wanted to practice for the upcoming performance and get on with her life. But Soyeon was blocking the entrance.

“Answer me, Miyeon.”

Taking a deep breath before speaking, “Please, Soyeon.”

“Answer me.” She repeated, no hint of friendliness in her voice. 

Miyeon tried to make her way through, but a firm hand pushing her backward stopped her. Soyeon wanted her to start talking, little did she know, Miyeon was a master at saying nothing. 

They just stood there, Soyeon remaining heavy eye contact and Miyeon could feel her heart beating faster. She was getting increasingly frustrated. 

_ What’s it to you? _ She thought.  _ He left me for you anyways. _ Anger bubbling up in her stomach.  _ You have everything, don’t you? Him, a mom, a girlfriend, money. What else could you possibly want from me? You already took everything. _

“Miyeon, if you don’t start-”

“He was my dad first.” She let out in a harsh tone.

“Excuse me, what?” 

“Let me in.” She tried to get in again, but Soyeon didn’t budge.

“Finish what you were saying, Cho.” She bit back, albeit annoyed.

“I already told you.” She said through her clenched jaw.

“There’s no way you’re his kid. He’s married to my mom.” 

_ How can you be so stupid? _ She thought. Soyeon was not willing to put the pieces together. Taking this opportunity, she tried to get past her one last time, only to be pushed back harder, causing her to stumble back. 

“What are you saying, Miyeon? You’re not making sense.” She laughed at her, like she was crazy. “If you’re trying to blackmail him into giving you money or something-”

“He left us! He left my mom.” She shouted back, Miyeon was on her wit’s end. 

“......” She wanted to ruin that dumb look on Soyeon’s face.

“While I was living on the streets, he was fucking some dumb rich lady!” Okay, maybe she took it a bit too far. Soyeon’s confusion soon turned to raw fury, she landed a firm slap on Miyeon’s face, leaving a scratch mark and drawing some blood. 

“Shut up!”

“No. This is what you wanted, so I’m going to tell you!” She was too worked up to think about what she was going to say before she said it. “He got my mom pregnant in high school, made her quit school, and then left! She had to sell her body to old men! I had nothing, no one, all because of  _ your  _ dad _. _ ” 

“......”

“You know what happened next Soyeon?” Miyeon was getting sarcastic and accusatory. “My mom killed herself, Soyeon. She hung herself in my room and I had to come home to her hanging corpse! I was 6! What were you doing then, huh? Probably being doted on him, for being the perfect child, the little prodigy he always wanted!”

“Miyeon, that’s enough.” She heard a deep voice reprimand behind her, turning around to see Taemin standing there with a neon visitor’s sticker stuck to his shirt. She heard Soyeon’s sniffles loud and clear. 

“ _ What?! _ ” Miyeon spat. “What could you possibly want  _ now _ ? You want to fuck my life up again? Huh? Do you have a hidden 3rd family somewhere? What could you possibly want?” 

“Stop.” His face was serious. 

“What? Let’s be honest, can we  _ dad _ ?” Every word that came out of her mouth was dripping with deep-seated hatred. “If I killed myself back then, would you even care? You didn’t seem to mind when I told you about mom.” She laughed hysterically when nothing about this was remotely funny.   
  


“Miyeon, stop it.” He warned.

“No, I waited for 14 years for you to come back, only to find out you didn’t want me. That you already had a family, that you had already replaced me and mom.” Her heart felt like it as going to explode, like Taemin was squeezing it so hard, waiting for it to pop. “But I guess it was worth it, right? Because now you get to play for the  _ Seoul Orchestra _ . Boy, aren’t you lucky!  _ And  _ you have two kids that play music well!” 

“Miyeon-”

“I hope you rot in hell, I don’t want to see you’re dumb face ever again.” She walked past him. 

Taemin made a quick move to grab her arm, stopping her from continuing down the hall. “Miyeon, listen!”

“What!” She screamed. “What do you want! Just leave me alone!” Thank god there was no one there because her voice carried through the whole building. 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry about leaving, I’m sorry about Seungyeon, I’m sorry about… everything!” 

Her nails dug painfully into her palms as the tears fell again. She was tired, tired of crying, tired of this mess, she just wanted to be left alone.

“Miyeon, please forgive me. I know I’m a bad dad, I know I’m a shit person, but please.” He begged. 

He let go of her arm and she sunk to her feet, hands clamped over her ears. “Please, Miyeon, give me a chance to love you again, make up for all that I’ve done.” 

She screamed, trying to block out the sound of his voice, “Go away!” She screamed so loud it echoed through the auditorium behind them. 

Opening her eyes to the sight of both Taemin and Soyeon staring at her with horror in their eyes, she did the only thing she knew how to do. She ran. 

Feeling a sense of Deja Vu, her indoor shoes squeaked against the pristine school floors. She ran through the cluttered hallways, gaining curious onlookers that stared as she passed by. 

Who could blame her, she was tired from all the running she had done today and clumsily tripped over a chair. Miyeon flew forward and twisted her ankle. 

Crying out in pain, she laid on the floor in a fetal position. All she could hear was her own heavy breathing, her right calf felt like it had its own heartbeat. Miyeon tightly clutched her leg and held it close, feeling her fingers slick with blood, she must’ve cut herself on the broken metal chair. 

She didn’t even register Taemin looking at down at her miserable form, shouting for the school nurse and trying to ease her gushing wound. She only saw Minnie, the girl had propped her head in her lap and was rocking her gently. Miyeon couldn’t understand what she was saying but she assumed they were words of comfort. She must’ve heard the commotion and came rushing over.

Everything from the waist up seemed numb, it became increasingly harder for her body to let oxygen in, and her eyelids felt heavy. The only thing she felt was the searing hot pain tearing through her right calf, as she cried out loudly. 

___

Minnie was just twirling her pen in between her fingers, zoning out once again. 

“Minnie. Minnie!” Her teacher called from the board.

Shooting out of her seat, trying to seem as if she wasn’t staring out the window for the whole first 20 minutes of class. 

“Y-yes?”

“Could you please tell me how you solved this equation?” 

“W-well, first you-” She was interrupted by a loud crashing noise outside her classroom, followed by a high-pitched cry. Everyone rushed to see the cause of action and Minnie’s stomach dropped instantaneously. 

Miyeon was sprawled on the cold tiled floor, her blood smearing beneath her. Her uniform blazer came undone and her white dress shirt was painted a sickly crimson color. She rushed over to the fallen girl, cradling her upper half, not wanting to agitate her rapidly bleeding leg. 

“It’s okay, it’s okay.” She repeated aloud, to herself and Miyeon.

Minnie didn’t realize how badly she was shaking until the paramedics pried the bleeding girl off of her. Her own pleated uniform skirt now stained with Miyeon’s blood. 

“Would you like to accompany your friend?” A female paramedic asked her and Taemin. “It can only seat one person…”

“I-” 

“Yes.” Minnie firmly cut Taemin off before he could respond, she was already following Miyeon on the stretcher she was being carried out in, tightly holding her hand. 

Loading into the back of the ambulance that was waiting for them in the front of the school, she finally took a deep breath, ignoring the pained expression on Miyeon’s dad’s face when she looked at him through the window. 

_ It’s okay, it’s okay. _ She repeated in her head, trying to maintain sanity as she saw the passed out girl laying before her. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> looking for twitter friends... please, I'm so bored out here.


	7. "My Sad Heart Grows Like Stars"

“You’re in here more often than I’d like.” Her grandma was sitting beside her in an uncomfortable hospital chair. She came as soon as Miyeon was admitted since she worked in the same building. 

Miyeon was completely silent, save for the scowl on her face. Minnie went to the cafeteria to get them some snacks and her grandma came to check in on her. She had slightly sprained her ankle and had a deep cut on the same leg, it was currently being propped up on a pillow placed at the end of her bed. 

“What happened, Miyeon-ah?” Eunbin asked softly, trying to sound patient and like she wasn’t scared to death for her granddaughter. 

“I tripped.”

“Well, I know that. Could you go into more detail?”

“He came. Dad came.” 

“Did he hurt you?” The anger slowly rising out of her voice.

“No, I fell on my own.” She replied, lifelessly, still hopped up on pain medication. “He came and tried to say sorry.”

“Oh.”

“I hate him.” Her eyes started to get a little watery. Eunbin, noticing, squeezed her hand. 

“I’m back!” Minnie tried to lighten up the mood. “They didn’t have any chips, so I just bought jellies.” 

“Thank you, Minnie. You’re a good friend.” Eunbin admired.

“Ah, it’s nothing. I just thought maybe she’d be hungry.” She tried to deflect. 

“I’ve got to get back to work, Miyeonnie. But I’ll check up on you later, ok?”

Miyeon just nodded as her grandma left the room, leaving just her and Minnie. 

“You didn’t have to come with me, you know.” She was shy, Minnie had held her hand up until the doctors had to separate them to operate on Miyeon. 

“I wanted to.” Her voice determined. 

“Thank you.” 

“Don’t say thank you, you would’ve done the same thing for me.” She playfully punched her shoulder and popped a candy into her mouth. 

___

Running a shaky hand through his hair, Taemin paced in the hospital lobby. He had been told that Miyeon was okay now and was resting. He couldn’t help but feel responsible for all this, for all her pain, for all her tears. 

The ring of his cellphone stopped him from walking forward. Pulling it out, it was his wife.

“Hi, honey.”

“Taemin-ah, there’s this new Japanese sushi place I want to try tonight.” Jieun sounded through the speaker. “How about you pick up Soyeon and I meet you there. Where are you?”

“I’m at the hospital,”

“Oh? Did something happen?”

Jieun knew about his life before he met her. He made sure to tell her everything he’d done before they married, to make sure their love was pure. She didn’t mind,  _ “Everybody makes mistakes.” _ , she had told him. 

“Nothing, Miyeon just…fell”

“Miyeon? Cho Miyeon?” 

“...Yeah,”

“Where’s Soyeon?” She quickly changed the subject, it was discernible that Jieun didn’t like his other daughter. She thought Miyeon just dragged him down, made him feel guilty all these years, preventing him from achieving absolute success.

“She’s still at school.” It was 3 already, but this whole hospital fiasco made time fly by so he didn’t notice until he checked his watch.

“You should probably pick her up soon. After dinner she has piano practice, the big concert’s coming up.”

“Yes, dear.” Debating on whether he should go up and visit Miyeon or pickup Soyeon, he leaves to go get his car.  _ She doesn’t want to see me anyways. _

The whole car ride to the restaurant was silent, Soyeon didn’t say a word until they were at a particularly long stoplight.

“Is it true?” Soyeon said in a quiet voice. “Did you leave them.”

“Yes.” He might as well tell her everything, now that she knows. “I’m not proud of it, but I left. I had to drop out of high school too. I had to work all day, every day, just to put food on the table. Things were bad until I met you and your mom.” 

“And Miyeon? What happened to her?”

“I guess they went to go live with her grandma after a little while.” Miyeon screamed something about having to live on the streets. “Let’s not talk about this before we eat, Soyeon-ah.” He cut their conversation as they pulled up to the fancy restaurant. 

He didn’t miss the way Jieun eyed his current state. His hair disheveled and shirt tussled from trying to help Miyeon back at the school, but he ignored it.

___

The sound of low bickering woke her up. Miyeon fell asleep shortly after Minnie left, the girl still had to go home, no matter how much she protested, not wanting to leave her side. 

_ “She doesn’t want to see you.”  _ Eunbin hissed. 

Unplugging her phone from the charger that was stationed on the hospital bedside table, she checked the time. Damn, it was already 12. That meant she slept for 16 hours. 

_ “Please, Eunbin. I just need to apologize.” _

_ “And you brought your wife too! This only going to make her more upset.” _ Eunbin argued. 

The door clicked open and her dad’s head peeked in, she frowned at him. 

“Oh, Miyeon-ah, you’re awake.” He laughed nervously, shuffling in. Taemin was wearing something similar to what he was wearing yesterday, expensive work clothes. A small woman followed behind him. She was about 5’3”, where Miyeon was 5’6”. His wife was very pretty, she looked young, and wore a humungous diamond on her ring finger. 

“We brought you some flowers.” He held out a colorful bouquet. She didn’t speak, eyes flittering from the flowers and back up to his face. “Have you eaten.” 

She still didn’t open her mouth, “Um, this is Jieun.” He cleared his throat.” Taemin was the only talking. “My wife.” 

“Nice to meet you.” She bowed respectfully, but Miyeon couldn’t help but glare at her. After all, she replaced her mom, Miyeon held only resentment in her heart for them. 

“How’s your leg.” Taemin opened his damned mouth again, his eyes scanning the cut on her cheek, the cut Soyeon gave her when she slapped her. 

“Why are you here?” She went straight to the point, tired of seeing him walk on eggshells around her. 

“I-I wanted to check up on you.” 

“Why is  _ she _ here?” She stared at Jieun, who’s eyes looked right back at her, returning the same expression. 

“Miyeon-ah, don’t be like this,” Taemin pleaded. 

“I don’t want to talk to you.” 

“I don’t think that’s any way to speak to your father.” Jieun scolded her.

“Jieun-” Taemin didn’t want any more fighting.

“ _ Father? _ I don’t think he deserves that title. He can’t just come back when he sees fit, having left me alone for 14 years.” She said in a calm, collected voice. “Father’s don’t leave their families for young rich women, fathers don’t let their daughters live on the streets.” 

“.......” That seemed to shut her up. They both looked equally guilty, standing there.

“Please leave,” She turned her head away from them.

___

Minnie came to visit her every day until she was let out of the hospital. She brought her bubble tea and snacks every time. It warmed her heart and broke it at the same time. Minnie was sweeter than the treats she brought, it made her feel how wanted she was. 

“Minnie-ah,” 

“Hmm?”

“Why did you start hanging out with me?” There must’ve been an ulterior motive, something she was getting out of this. Why else would anyone be friends with her?

“Because I like you.” She said as a matter of factly.

“I find that hard to believe.” Years of putting walls around her made it hard for her to open up and see that. 

“Miyeon-ah, you’re the smartest, most talented person I know. How is that hard to believe?”

“Why didn’t you realize that sooner?” She jested.

“Yah! You didn’t give me a chance to, you never talked. Only when I heard you play did I…”  _ Fall in love?  _ “Want to get to know you better.”

She let out a little laugh.

“Yah! Cho Miyeon! Don’t laugh, I like you!” She whined.

“I like you too, pabo.” She used her nickname on her, smiling back. 

Her grandma came often too, she  _ did  _ work at the same hospital, but it was nice to see Eunbin during her small breaks. She even bought her a small portable keyboard to practice on since Miyeon had a big performance coming (even though she wouldn’t be playing the piano, but Eunbin just wanted to do something nice). 

She only spent a couple of days in the hospital. She had to wear crutches, but that beat sitting and doing nothing all day long. The doctors said she only needed to use them for a week since she was recovering well. Going back to school, Miyeon didn’t mind the stares people gave her because Minnie was next to her the whole time. 

Things got a little tense during lunch, though. Yuqi clung to Soyeon, the two blushing about god knows what, while she kept to herself. Soyeon’s eyes fell when she saw the small cut on her face.

Was Miyeon sorry about snapping at Soyeon? No, not in the slightest. She deserved to hear it all after she pushed Miyeon over the edge. She wanted Soyeon to feel as bad as she did for 14 years, even if it was only for a short time. They didn’t say a word to each other during practice. 

___

Miyeon hated orchestra night, she’d much rather spend her time practicing forever than perform in front of people. The only person that ever came to see her play was her grandma, but Minnie and Shuhua were coming this time. She wasn’t scared of messing up, whenever she closed her eyes, she played in autopilot. Quite frankly, she didn’t know what she feared, she just knew she was scared.

“Shit,” Soyeon muttered underneath her breath when she messed up the song for the nth time during rehearsals. The venue was starting in like 2 hours and some people were still doing sound checks and getting ready. 

“Is everything alright, Soyeon?” Ms.Lee asks, looking over her shoulder. “You haven’t been able to nail the notes yet. Is the piece too hard?” 

“N-no, ma’am. Just a bit of pre-show jitters” She lied. Soyeon hadn’t been able to play properly since the day Miyeon fell. Like something in her mind was holding her back, like she had all these pent up feelings she was holding in. 

Miyeon minded her own business, she practiced her violin parts, closing her eyes and letting her fingers press down on the strings instinctively. A small tap on her shoulder interrupted her from completing it flawlessly again. 

“Ms.Lee?”

“Can I speak to you for a second?” 

“Um, sure.” They walked out into the hall, for privacy’s sake. 

“Do you think you could take over Soyeon’s part for the concert?” 

“What?”

“I know you transferred out of the piano, but she isn’t getting it and with the performance hours away…”

“Um, I don’t think Soyeon would like that.” She didn’t really care what Soyeon wanted, she just didn’t want to play in front of all those people. 

“But you play the song so perfectly, Miyeon-ssi. I don’t ask for much, just that you cover for her this once. I’ll never ask again.”

“...Okay,” 

Ms.Lee left to break the news to Soyeon 30 minutes before the auditorium filled up. 

_ “What!?” _ She heard her high-pitched scream behind the production room. 

The crowd was quieting and people were getting seated, Miyeon didn’t dare look out off the stage, in fear she was going to throw up. She took her crutches and inched her way over to the black bench, smoothing out her black dress once she sat down and started opening up her notes.

_ “Miyeon? I thought Soyeon was playing?” _ She heard Jieun say behind her. 

When the stage lights blared overhead, she closed her eyes, hearing the audience quiet down. Miyeon let out a deep breath, she was opening the show. Looking at the composer with butterflies in her stomach, she waited for her cue. Ms.Lee was giving some cheesy speech about how her orchestra was the jewel of CUBE academy and all that, before raising her hands and signaling the band to start.

Taking a deep breath, she played. Closing her eyes, she let the music create a story in her head, she saw green fields and blue skies, children laughing and rolling in the grass, everything seemed calm. Then clouds in the sky started getting denser, darker, the children were nowhere to be found, the water falling from the sky only got louder. 

She was getting to bridge of the song and everyone was on the edge of their seats.

_ She plays like… me. _ Taemin knows he should be agreeing with Jieun about how unfair it was that Soyeon got her part taken away, but he was speechless. Even Jieun was at a loss for words, Miyeon’s fingers moved at a rapid pace across the vast white keys, belting out the composition. 

Thunder, thunder struck down on the once peaceful meadow, cracking through the mounds of earth in a furious rage. Her hands felt havier against the ivory keys, fingers pressing down harder, making the glorious instrument wail in the same pain and misery she felt. Being thrust back to reality, she opened her eyes and pulled her hands away from the piano. 

She played with the same compassion and fervor that drove her to snap that day. The notes painted the story of her life and spoke the truths of her feelings. Her brain had memorized each and every key and sound that came out of the piano, she didn’t just read sheet music, she lived it. This piece was always one of her favorites due to its overarching melancholy and tragedy.

The rain had quieted in the meadows of her mind, the sun started peeking from the stark dense clouds. It shined on the sparkling dews that blanketed the grass. Soon an overwhelming peacefulness came upon the earth, not quite as happy as it was before the storm, but still enough for her to be satisfied with it. She retracted her hands from the burning keys, looking down at her lap, unchanging and feeling the strong aftermath of her performance. 

Claps and a few cheers (probably Minnie and Shuhua) filled once they noticed she finished her piece, some other section mates helped her off the piano platform. Soyeon was set to take over for the rest of the evening, songs she was more familiar with, and could play in her sleep, but nothing compared to what Miyeon played that night. 

But still, not willing to pay attention to Soyeon’s haggard appearance, Miyeon settled back into her seat, positioning her violin precariously on her shoulder. 

“Miyeon! You played so well Miyeonnie, you looked so cool!” Shuhua gushed, she distanced her self, not hugging her as she’d normally due since she was in crutches.

“You were really good!” Minnie, matching the same energy as Shuhua. 

“Thank you,” She ducked her head, trying to hide her tinted cheeks. “You guys didn’t have to come.”

“We wouldn’t miss it for the world. Our little Miyeonnie is so talented.” Shuhua cooed.

As much as she hated to admit it, she loved the praise and attention she got from her friends. It finally validated her in the ways no one else could. 

**Grandma [6:45 pm]**

Good job tonight, Miyeon-ah

Sorry, I had to leave early, there was an emergency :(

Minnie said she’d take you home so don’t worry

She checked the text her grandma sent her, “You ready, Miyeon?” Minnie helped usher her out of the school building.

Unconsciously shivering in the night breeze, there was nothing but the glow of the bright car headlights lighting their path. Minnie draped her jean jacket over her shoulders and rubbed them to keep her warm. Usually, people dressed formally for performances, the orchestra themselves had to dress in all-black attire, but Minnie just wore a white button-down, some tailored pants, and a light blue jean jacket. It still made her stand out even compared to the prettiest Jieun, or whatever $1,000 suit her dad was seen wearing when she saw them go to congratulate Soyeon.

“Thank you,” She said for the second time that night. 

“Don’t mention it, Miyeon-ah.” Minnie grinned over to her, brushing the bangs on her forehead aside a little.

“You have a forehead, Kim Minnie?!” She gasped dramatically. The other girl was known notoriously for having choppy bangs her whole life. 

Minnie laughed at the mention of her made-up surname. “Aigoo, stop complaining. You’re the only one that likes my bangs anyways.” She sulked.

“I do, they’re very cute.” She swayed towards Minnie and nudged her a little, giggling like a whipped school girl (which she was). 

The trademarked black Bently pulled up, the driver getting out to help Miyeon in. Luckily, she didn’t live that far, the car ride was filled with little snickers in the back seat as she and Minnie shared funny stories.

“I can’t believe they didn’t catch you?” Miyeon chuckled. 

“I know! I made the whole thing up and Ms.Kwon just took it. I swear, it was so scary, I’m never winging a history presentation ever again.” She shared. 

The vehicle lurched forward to a stop, causing Miyeon to scramble to her sense and try to gather her crutches. 

“I’ll walk you up, okay?”

“You really don’t have to-”

“No buts, I’m coming.” She got out first, opening her door for her in the process. 

Minnie didn’t really know what she was getting into when she started being Miyeon’s friend. She didn’t notice the way her heart fluttered every time Miyeon smiled at her, laughed at her jokes, or moved to hold her hand when they walked to class. More often than not, she found herself getting more and more attached to Miyeon. Minnie loved that she could understand what Miyeon was feeling without her telling her, and how Miyeon would ask her how her day was when they went to lunch together. 

Like a flower in bloom, Miyeon slowly opened up to her, showing her beautiful colors. It was worth the wait, Minnie got to see all sides of Cho Miyeon. She was no longer some weird, quiet, mysterious girl who sat in the back of her literature class, now she was a dear friend that had a strong love for music and had a calming personality. 

They eventually made it to her unit, Miyeon tried to dial in the door code.

“Um, Miyeon…” Minnie felt like now probably wasn’t the best time to confess, but it happened to slip from her mouth.

“Yes?” Miyeon looked at her with big eyes.

“I-I think I like you,”

“I like you too.” She smiled so big her eyes formed little crescents.

  
“Not like that, I l-like, like you.” Minnie saw the small panic in the other girl’s eyes. “Umm, if you don’t like that I understand! If you never want to speak to me that’s fine, I’m-”

Letting go of one of her crutches, Miyeon leans forward and grabs her by the collar, pulling her into a kiss. Cutting off her rambling with her mouth.

Eyes wide with surprise, Minnie freezes for a couple of seconds before she realizes what’s actually happening. Miyeon’s lips are soft and tasted like sweet honey, her lids shut as she held Miyeon up by her shoulders. 

They parted, oxygen if kind of essential, and as much as they didn’t want to separate, their lungs were about to give out.

“I, umm,” Was all Minnie could say, her face the same color as a tomato.

“I like you too, pabo.” She grinned playfully, completely unfazed that they just kissed. When did she get so bold? Neither of them knew, maybe Minnie’s attention finally gave her confidence. “Goodnight, Minnie.”

Waiting for Miyeon to disappear into her apartment, Minnie turns around and did a cartwheel down the narrow hallway. Silently screaming, her hands are shaking. That was her first kiss, her first kiss with Cho Miyeon. 

Taking the stairs instead of the elevator, she sprints down to the waiting car for her. Practically squirming in her seat, she whips out her phone and texts Shuhua.

**Minnie Mouse [7:02 pm]**

SHUHUA SHUHUA YOU DAMN BASTARD

MIYEON KISSED ME SJDHFSJDFHSDK

FSKJADFHJSDKHFSJKF

!!!!!!!!

**Shu [7:02 pm]**

WAHT WHAT WHAS 

SKDJFDS

WHEN 

MINMIN YOU SLY FOX

TELL ME EVERYTHING

Slumping back in her seat, her heartbeat was louder than the humming engine. She felt like she could run a mile right now. And when she got home, it didn’t take her family long to notice her mood change.

“Why are you so smiley, huh?” Mic groaned.

“How was the concert?” Mac ignored him. 

“Good.” She grinned wolfishly to herself before going to her room and screaming into the pillows. 

_ Miyeon kissed me, I kissed Miyeon. _ Her heart was soaring, like the fear of confessing was lifted off her shoulders. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the amazing comments so far, you guys are what's keeping me going in this pandemic 🥺 <3\.   
> Feel free to follow me on twt, looking for mutuals @akuma__jpg :)


	8. "I Can't Escape This Endless Darkness"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to delete and repost my twitter ao3 link because twt doesn't let you edit tweets anymore :'(. If you left a like or reply on that post I'm so sorry it had to be deleted! But the post is back up now, don't be afraid to show it some love B).

Everything after their kiss seemed to flow naturally, nothing between them really changed. They already liked each other before confessing, now they held hands more often and exchanged a few quick kisses. If anything, they were more whipped for each other now than ever. 

The newly established couple were nowhere near as sickening as Soojin and Shuhua. No, they’ve reserved the title of sweetest (grosses) couple ever since Minnie accidentally walked in on them sucking each other’s faces off in an empty classroom. But she and Miyeon were cute in their own way.

Miyeon was currently passed out on her couch, they were watching some sappy Korean movie and she fell asleep halfway through. It was endearing, her head was resting on her shoulder, and she was hugging her arm, Minnie’s heart had never felt fuller. Miyeon had shared about her rough childhood and her relationship with her father, it made Minnie happy that she could put a smile on Miyeon’s face and shield her from all the evils of the world. 

Still paying attention to the screen, she hears her phone go off somewhere next to her on the large couch. 

**Shu [5:12 pm]**

What are you getting Miyeon for her bday?

_ Shit. _ She forgot, her birthday was only in a couple of weeks. The first semester of their last year in high school was ending soon as well, Miyeon was turning 18 (in Korean years). 

**Minnie Mouse [7:12 pm]**

I kinda forgot…

I’ll prob get her a new keyboard

Idk

**Shu [7:13 pm]**

Forgot??

Jesus, some girlfriend you are ( T_T)

**Minnie Mouse [7:13 pm]**

Chill, I’ll get her something soon

Turning her attention to her sleeping girlfriend, she softens at the sight of her cute little snores. She worked really hard during exams, studying every spare second where Minnie just winged it.  _ She must be tried. _ Minnie almost felt guilty for dragging Miyeon here to watch a movie with her when she was this exhausted,  _ almost. _ They way Miyeon snuggled up to her was too good to miss. 

They stayed like that for a little longer before she woke up. Minnie giggled at how cute she looked, trying to pretend as if she didn’t snooze through the first hour of the movie. 

“What?”

“Nothing, if you said you were tired we could’ve rescheduled.” 

“But I wanted to hang out.” She pouted.

“Alright, alright.” She planted a small kiss on the top of her head, returning to watch the rest of the movie. 

“I have no idea what’s happening but the acting’s good.” She chipped in.

The rest of the night was filled with Minnie trying to go over the whole plot in seconds while Miyeon snacked on some popcorn. The finally finished the 2-hour long film, Minnie stood up to stretch her legs. 

“It’s almost 8:30, do you need a ride home?” Minnie had recently gotten her driver’s license and that meant no more Bentleys and chauffeurs. Instead, she was driving around in an expensive Mercedes. Driving had its perks, she got to take Miyeon where ever she wanted and was in charge of where she could go, but she missed not being yelled at by senior drivers with bad road rage.

“Sure,” She got up and collected her things. Miyeon wasn’t walking around in crutches anymore, her ankle had recovered fast and all that was left was the cut on the back of her leg.

Keeping one hand on the steering wheel and the other intertwined with Miyeon’s as she drove them to her apartment, she gave her a kiss on the cheek goodbye as Miyeon left to go back home.

Miyeon flashed her a 100-watt smile before she left that got her thinking.  _ Man, I really am the luckiest girl on the planet, huh? _ She was grateful to have met such a kind and caring person, beautiful inside and out, all it took was a little push. 

___

Miyeon made her way up to her unit, coming home to an empty apartment. Her grandma had been working late nights often, which left her alone with Mochi all the time. She didn’t mind, she had songs to review and practice, switching in between the violin and piano to increase her playing skills for the last concert of her high school career. 

For the first time in a long time, she was content with how things in her life were going. She had a couple of friends  _ and _ a pretty girlfriend. Sure, things with Soyeon and her dad were a bit… rocky, but she chose to not think about it too much. 

_ I can’t change the past. _ She thought, still holding on to the anger she felt against her dad.

He hadn’t tried to contact her after that day in the hospital, but she could sense that Soyeon was always on edge whenever they were around each other. Ever since the last performance, Soyeon hadn’t been able to play confidently and Miyeon had to practice both her and Soyeon’s parts, in case she wasn’t able to play next orchestra night.

___

In a blank state, she missed her cue. She hadn’t really been feeling the piano lately. She always got the notes wrong, whenever she played it didn’t sound as good as Miyeon. The fear of having her position compromised ate at her. 

“You okay, Soyeon?” Yuqi tugged at her hand. “You’ve been zoning out a lot lately.” They were walking down the halls together, hand in hand.

“Hmm? Yeah, I’m fine, just thinking.” Yuqi just frowned at her half-assed lie. 

“Anything you want to talk about?” Soyeon never shared unless Yuqi pried. 

“I’m just-” She didn’t really know where to start. “I’m still a bit spooked about when Miyeon fell.”

“Have you talked to her since?” Yuqi knew what happened. Soyeon instigated and Miyeon started yelling, Minnie told her. She didn’t know who was in the wrong, to be honest. On one hand, Soyeon shouldn’t have pushed her but she had a right to know. On the other hand, Miyeon was a ticking time bomb at that point, on edge because of how intrusive her dad was being and Soyeon’s persistence.

“No,” she didn’t know what she’d say to her. “But I feel like she hates me.”

“I don’t think Miyeon hates you, she hates your dad more than anything.” Yuqi quipped.

“That’s true.” Soyeon looked half there. “Maybe I should talk to her…”

Pulling her closer, Yuqi pressed a kiss on her cheek, “Good, I hate seeing you upset.” 

Blushing at the sudden contact, Soyeon just gave into Yuqi’s naturally playful mannerisms. She didn’t know what it was about Yuqi that attracted her. Her girlfriend was the funniest, sweetest person she knew. Sure, sometimes she annoyed the hell out of her, but she loved her either way. 

Soyeon tried to formulate a script in her head before talking to Miyeon, pacing in the empty auditorium. She liked to get to practice a bit earlier these days. She picked up her dad’s nervous habit of pacing. In reality, she was very much like Taemin, he may have not been her birth father but she inherited all his personality traits. 

The odds were truly in her favor that day, Miyeon also showed up before anyone else. She kept her head down, ignoring the very obvious Soyeon staring at her. Unpacking her violin, Miyeon got straight to playing.

“Miyeon.” Soyeon walked closer to her.

She shrunk in her seat, slowly putting down her instrument. 

“C-can we talk?” 

A bit hesitant from the last time they spoke to each other, Miyeon nodded in compliance. 

“First off, I’m sorry. I didn’t know about your… past, and it was rude of me to… push you.” She took frequent pauses, trying to read Miyeon’s expression.  _ Is she still mad? Sad? _ She really couldn’t tell.

Miyeon didn’t speak out, so she took that as a signal to continue. “Umm, you have every right to be mad at my dad for what he did, but please don’t be mad at me. I didn’t ask for him to leave you.”

“Okay.” She says lightly.

_ Okay? Is that all she has to say? _ Soyeon was kind of expecting another Cho outburst but Miyeon didn’t appear to really care. 

“I-I didn’t have a dad either, before Taemin.” She was trying to relate to Miyeon on a personal level. “He died when I was younger, like around 1.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.” Miyeon could relate to her, having lost her mom. Regardless of the circumstance, losing a parent didn’t hurt any less. 

“It’s okay, I’m over it.” The air between them was a bit awkward, Miyeon certainly didn’t want to be talking to her, but Soyeon just had to get these things off her chest. “Are we good?”

“Hmm? Sure, you didn’t know. And Taemin is an asshole.” She had no qualms against badmouthing her dad, either behind his back or to his face. 

“O-okay,” She cleared her throat. 

Miyeon seemed to have forgotten the severity of her past tantrum because she didn’t really care about it now. Soyeon guessed that’s just how most girls her age were, they got over it.

Soyeon was right, Miyeon didn’t care. Why waste all this energy hating someone who didn’t know better? She was a rational person, Miyeon was able to differentiate the good from the bad, her dad wasn’t a bad person but he hurt her. It’s not like Soyeon could choose her next dad, things just happen. That’s just the tragedy of it all, it was no one’s fault except for Taemin’s. 

“Are you still having trouble with that new Chopin piece?” Miyeon broke the tension.

“Yeah, it’s a bit more difficult than I imagined…” Soyeon may have bitten off more than she could chew when Ms.Lee asked her to pick a song for the next concert. She had been struggling for days. 

“Which parts?”

“Just the melody and the bridge.”

“Oh, for those parts you’re gonna want to pace yourself more, timing the verse correctly is important.” They talked normally, Soyeon couldn’t help but feel like things returned to how they were before all this family drama, they even talked to each other during lunch. 

Saying goodbye to Miyeon in the front of the school, walking over to her mom’s car as Miyeon went with Minnie. Jieun was watching her walk over, Gucci sunglasses perched on her perfect nose bridge. She wore a sour expression on her face as Soyeon got in the passenger’s seat. 

“Was that Miyeon?” Her voice was a bit too harsh for Soyeon’s liking.

“Yeah?” 

“Soyeon, I’d prefer it if you wouldn’t hang out with people like that… People like her.” Jieun never really cared who Soyeon was friends with. Why did she care now?

“Why? She’s not a bad person.”

“Her and your father aren’t on the best of terms,”

“I’m not dad, it shouldn’t affect him.”

“Her whole existence is the reason your father can’t get the lead section role at the orchestra,” Jieun said in a snooty tone. “She’s making things more difficult at that.”

“She’s not hurting anyone?” Soyeon was trying to find out why her mom was so bent out of shape about this. “Why does the orchestra care about who dad’s related to?”

  
“The director happens to be a bit more on the… conservative side.” 

“Well, it’s not like she can magically disappear…” Where was her mom going with this?

“Taemin was trying to get Miyeon to emancipate herself.” 

_ What the hell? _ Emancipation meant that Miyeon would no longer be his kid, freeing her self. Normally, emancipation happened on one’s 18th, when they become an adult. In Korea, people are 1 year older than they actually are because once a child is born, they are considered a 1-year-old. That meant Miyeon’s 18th was coming up.  _ Is that why he wanted to meet up with her? _

“H-he can’t just-” She was trying to process this all. “Abandon her?” 

Her mom stayed silent, willing for her daughter to catch on herself.  _ He can. _ He did it before, there was really nothing stopping him from doing it again.  _ But he begged for forgiveness? _ She was beyond confused, her brain was starting to hurt. 

Pulling into their penthouse, her mom got out and handed the valet her keys and Soyeon was still thinking the entire way up to their unit. Opening its grand doors and being greeted with the sound of Taemin playing in their living room.

“Oh, you’re back!” He smiled. “How was your day?” He looked at Jieun, who was taking off her shoes.

“Tiring, I still have a couple meetings.” She gave him a quick kiss before leaving for her home office. 

“Ah, Soyeon! How was practice? Any progress?” She couldn’t look him in the eye.  _ How can he abandon her again? Does he not understand what she’s been through?  _ Seriously, was he not paying attention to Miyeon’s cries? “Soyeon?”

“F-fine. They’re going fine.” She left without saying another word. 

Who was her dad? The Taemin that talks about legally disowning his first daughter was nothing like the person  _ her  _ dad was. Her dad was considerate and patient, who had so much love for her and her mom. This man was something sinister, greedy, and selfish, disregarding Miyeon’s strife. 

She sat down, practicing the very techniques Miyeon taught her that day. She did it easier, she sounded better. But she couldn’t forget about that night Miyeon played. She felt it, felt what Miyeon was expressing through her song, the misery, the pain, the hardship. It was almost a cry for help and she didn’t see that her dad was responsible for all of it.

___

Minnie had no idea what she was doing in the music shop. She didn’t know scratch about pianos or keyboards and the large collection in front of her only made her more lethargic. After dropping Miyeon off, she and Soojin went shopping, she needed to pick out Miyeon’s birthday present and Soojin needed to buy something for her and Shuhua’s 3rd year anniversary. 

“Do you need help miss?” A worker at the store approached the very dazed Minnie.

“Uh, yeah…” She took out her phone and opened the notes app, she wrote down the model of Miyeon’s keyboard the last time she was over, in hopes to find a better model. “Do you have anything better than the… uh, Yamaha Piaggero np12?” 

Her girlfriend already had two keyboards, but the main one she used looked a bit worn from all the years she’s had it and Minnie wanted her to play on the highest quality piece of equipment possible. 

“Are you looking for a synthesizer, hybrid, or a digital work station?” This lady was saying words she’s never heard before.

“I dunno, a piano?” She probably sounded like an idiot. “I’m just trying to find something for my girlfriend, she plays mostly classical…”

“Hmm, for classical?” The worker scanned the shelves and equipment surrounding them in the cramped music store. “I think I know just the piano!”

She lead them further into the cluttered store, and finally presenting a rather beefy black keyboard. “This is the Kawai MP11SE, it’s a professional stage piano and it’s great for classical players.”

It looked legitimate, Minnie didn’t know what she was doing and this seemed… fine. “I’ll take it.” She didn’t need further persuading. 

“Great! Although it is a bit pricey…”

“How much?”

“Retail $2,299.99.” She saw the hysteria rise on Minnie’s face. “B-but! But it’s the best digital piano on the market right now! I’m sure your girlfriend would love it!” She  _ did _ sound pretty convincing… 

“Alright, I’ll take it.” A bit apprehensive but hey, she had more money than anyone would ever need and she’d gladly spend it all on Miyeon. 

“Great!” The saleswoman clapped her hands. “I’ll go grab one from the back for you!” And she was gone.

“Find anything Minnie?” Soojin made her way through the small isles, holding a bag from some overpriced jewelry store and a slushie on the other hand. 

“Yeah, the lady’s grabbing it right now.” The same woman was lugging a huge box, so large in fact, she needed a dolly just to roll it out. “I don’t think that’s gonna fit in my car…”

“Oh? If that’s so, we offer free delivery for purchases over $1,000. Would you like it delivered instead?”

“Over $1,000!” Soojin choked on her drink.

“Yes please,” Minnie ignored the shell shocked Soojin, pulling out her platinum credit card.

After a few card swipes and clicks, she left the store with a receipt and a big smile.

“Jesus, Minnie. What’d you buy her? A golden piano?”

“Haha.” She deadpanned. “What’d you get Shuhua?”

“That’s not important.” Soojin deflected, certainly having bought Shuhua something more pricey. Her parents being the best surgeons in all of South Korea, Soojin also had a hefty allowance. 

“Well, what’s done is done.” She fished her car keys out of her pockets, “You done?”

“Mhm.” Soojin was still sipping on her sugary drink. 

“Wow, have you and Shu really been together for 3 years.” She sighed in amazement. 

“Just about. Since 1st year.” They were the perfect couple on paper, but even they had their fair share of fights.

Soojin grew up an only child, isolated since her parents worked so much. From graveyard shifts to back to back surgeries, she never really had much interaction, kind of like Miyeon. People saw her as cold and intimidating when in reality Soojin just wanted to be validated like everyone else. 

Shuhua also grew up an only child, but her situation was different. She was showered with love and affection, being in a picture-perfect family. Even when upset, she remained poised, something that came with being Taiwanese royalty. But her girlfriend preferred to sulk by herself, giving people the silent treatment. 

The moment Shuhua laid eyes on Soojin, she fell. Soojin knew a lot of people, but she wasn’t close to anyone. Take Jimin for example, she only associated herself with that crowd to remain untouched by the recklessness of social politics. 

As cold and frightening Soojin seemed, it didn’t stop Shuhua from pining after her. Minnie had to admit it, they were good for each other. Shuhua opened Soojin up, she was her emotional support system and listened to her when her parents weren’t there. Soojin grounded Shuhua, she made her seem human when her parent’s diplomacy detached her from being a normal girl. 

Minnie only hoped she and Miyeon would last that long, if not forever. It might be naive of her to think of Cho Miyeon being her first and last love but who could blame her? Have you seen Cho Miyeon? 

Dropping Soojin off on the upper east end of Seoul, she made a journey back to her family’s mansion. Feeling the fatigue of piano hunting overtake her body as she parked in her massive driveway. Watching a couple of delivery men struggle to carry a 75 pound piano up her staircase. 

_ Oh boy. _

___

Laying on her back, she held her hand over her eyes to shield them from the strident light. Focusing on her long translucent fingers and studying them, she gets distracted and doesn’t hear the first few knocks on her front door. 

Absent-mindedly making her way through the empty halls, she didn’t bother looking through the little eye hole on the front door. It was a dangerous move, to say the least, she was home alone with her grandma still at work and it’s not like people got injured answering the door. 

“H-hi.”  _ Oh no. _ This was worse and any robber, any burglar, any criminal that could’ve held her at gunpoint, it was her dad. “Can we talk?”

She made a promise to be more open-minded ever since she started making amends with Soyeon. Miyeon never actually figured out what her dad wanted to talk to her about since she never really engaged with him, cautiously nodding and moving to the side so he can come in. 

They sat at her small dining table, under a small dim, fluorescent light.  _ Probably not used to being in a place so cheap. _ Miyeon thought when she saw her dad’s discomfort when taking a seat across from her in her grandma’s apartment.  _ Well, not all of us are lucky enough to get sugar mommies. _ She keeps it to herself. 

Cracking his knuckles and setting his hands on the table, he lets out a shaky breath. “Thank you for letting me talk. I-I know I messed up and that I don’t deserve a second chance, so I’m giving you a chance to erase me from your life.”

_ What? _ Her eyes wide in surprise.

“Your 17th birthday is coming up, but the law recognizes it as your 18th.”

Her heart dropped. He had abandoned her before, but he was still her dad. Now he was trying to get rid of their family link. She said he didn’t deserve the father’s title, that she never wanted to see him again. So why did this hurt so much?

She should be happy right? She would be finally free from the emotional strain he’s put on her. So why is she so sad? 

“A filed emancipation would remove any legal relation we have to each other…” Her heart felt so suffocated right now it numbed her fingertips, tears welled in her eyes. “I think it’s best for the both of us to move on.” He didn’t look remorseful, regretful, or guilty this time, this time he looked assertive and sure of what he was saying.

Frigid in her place, her mouth hung open. She knew the things she said were harsh, but how could he take it  _ that _ low. Parents were supposed to ignore teenage tantrums, not call their bluffs. Why was he so ready to leave her again? Did she push him too far? 

“I-” 

Taemin was pulling something out of his pocket and unfolding it, “All you have to do is sign and the courts will summon our case a couple months later” Oh look at that, he even brought a pen.

Instead of being angry and frustrated, she felt scared. Even though he wasn’t there for 14 years, she always held on to the idea of her dad, signing whatever paper he put in front of her would leave her truly parentless. 

She had her grandma, but there was something about having a mom and dad that was unparalleled. Not making noise, the tears fell. Traveling down her chin, running over her cheeks, they softly drip on the paper before her. Her tear stains look just like the ones her dad left on her blanket when she was 3, this was the final time he’d be leaving. With a shaky hand and a bit of reluctance, she signs. 

“I’ll contact you when our case gets its time in court.” He tucked the paper back into his pocket, getting up from the table and exiting the apartment. 

There is nothing left to say to him, she already expressed how much she loathes not only him but herself as well. The frequent heaviness in her chest made it hard to breathe again, Miyeon dragged her feet to her room. Flicking the lights off, she wanted to be swallowed whole by the earth. She didn’t bother getting back into bed, she just curled up on the floor, hugging herself tightly with her long arms. The wide expanse of her empty room became too much to handle as she scooted into a dark corner. There was something about being in a small space that gave her a false sense of security, like that time she locked herself in the janitors closet.

Unmoving once again, she let her wails echo through the long halls of her home. The very little light spilling from the dining room was unsettling and for the first time in 11 years, she closed her door. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can give me story suggestions of how you guys want this fic to go or any criticism here [My Curious Cat](https://curiouscat.qa/AKUMA_jpg)
> 
> still looking for twitter friends and mutuals [My Twitter](https://twitter.com/akuma__jpg) :)


	9. "You Make Me Crazy"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late chapter! I've been sidetracked with trying to get my driver's license and I've been playing wayyyyy too much osu. I don't really have an updated schedule but I tend to write really fast, please be patient with me. I PROMISE THERE WILL BE FLUFF NEXT CHAPTER, but writing angst is just so fun. Anyways, this chapter's kind of long ^3^ enjoy.

Miyeon wasn’t answering her texts. Minnie waited outside her house for 30 minutes and she didn’t come down. If it was any other day, she would pick up Miyeon and head to school, but her girlfriend wasn’t answering her damn phone. She even went up to her door and even knocked a few times, no answer. Her grandma wasn’t home, probably already left for work. 

_ Where is she? _ She knew better than to get impatient with Miyeon, but she was running late to school.  _ Did her phone die? _ No, she would’ve answered the door then.  _ What the hell? _

There she was, sitting in the school parking lot 15 minutes late to class and without Miyeon. Minnie grumpily stomped out onto campus, receiving a light scolding from her first-period teacher. 

Around her 3rd class, she was no longer mad, she was worried.  _ Did something happen? _ Miyeon tended to become socially detached whenever something happened. When she met her dad, she didn’t come to school the next day. 

_ I’ll try to visit her again after school. _

The more she thought about it, the more it ate at her.  _ Is she okay? _ Minnie wouldn’t be this worried if Miyeon just responded to her texts. 

**Minnie ( ✌︎'ω')✌︎ [9:34 am]**

Are u ok?

Where were u this morning?

Helloooooooo

Miyeon?

She wanted to reach out to her grandma, but she didn’t want to bother her if it wasn’t anything major. If it was something serious, Eunbin would probably know since they lived with each other. Minnie was distracted in all her classes, desperately wanting them to end quicker so she could drive back to Miyeon’s.

The final bell rang and she dashed out of the classroom before Shuhua could ask her where she was going. Her whole friend group was worried about Miyeon, especially Soyeon, but they kept it together for the sake of Minnie’s sanity. 

She turned the ignition, setting the car alive. The steering wheel hummed underneath her fingertips as she floored the acceleration. 

_ Where are you Cho Miyeon? _

___

Miyeon stayed in her darkroom all night until her grandma came home around 3. She couldn’t sleep, restless. It hurt too much to fall asleep. Her eyes were tired but the feeling of her chest being compressed knocked the wind out of her lungs and if she didn’t focus on her breathing she’d surely stop. 

It was exhausting, she had to tell her brain to inhale and exhale because if she stopped, she’d suffocate. Miyeon heard Eunbin enter the apartment, throwing her keys onto the dining table. She heard her light footsteps travel down the halls and stop at her door. 

“Miyeon?” Her voice stern, with a little bit of fear seeping in. She slowly turned the handle and met eyes with her fragile granddaughter.

The look in her eyes only made Miyeon cry again. Eunbin flipped on the lights, freezing when she looked down at her. Miyeon’s hands were dripping red from her nails digging so deeply into the palms of her hands. 

“M-Miyeon,” She slowly walked over, crouching to get on her level. Eunbin did her best, she wrapped her arms around her shoulders, letting Miyeon cry into her for a good hour. 

With her eyes bloodshot and glossy, Miyeon finally calmed down. Too tired to think when her grandma tugged her to the bathroom to clean her cuts, wiping them of blood and gently wrapping a light gauze around her hands. Eunbin didn’t ask, she didn’t think Miyeon wanted to share considering her blank face, unmoving when she applied disinfectant. 

“It’s late, how about you get to bed?” 

She didn’t respond, just absently gliding back to her bed and closing her eyes, desperately hoping she wouldn’t wake up. 

But she did. 

The obtrusive light spilling from her transparent curtains flashed in her face. Her limbs felt so heavy, she didn’t want to leave her room. With mochi sitting in between her legs, she heard her grandma yell goodbye before leaving. 

Miyeon felt trapped in her head, she was thinking about getting up, getting dressed, but her legs wouldn’t move. Memories of yesterday caused a dull pain in her chest that made it hard to think straight. Her phone rang, about 50 times, and she just stared as it rung, Mochi grumbling about the noise. 

Her body felt tired even though her mind was already wide awake, Miyeon’s eyes slipped back into sleep after an hour of staring at her ceiling. 

Mochi barking woke her up, it was already 4 and she had slept for the entire day. Everything felt so useless, her motivation to normally function as a human had dissolved. All because she was unwanted, burdensome, a mistake. 

_ Mistake, mistake, mistake, mistake. _ She had heard that word a million times already, whether she directed it towards herself or someone mocked her, she never failed to hear that one damned word. 

_ “I think it’s best for the both of us to move on.” _ Her father had said to her. It was funny, it really was. That was usually something someone would say their significant other or partner, not one’s  _ daughter. _ She really was just as disposable as people made her feel. Was she even entitled to feel upset? She barely knew him? The image of him playing on some rickety old piano with her was gone, the image of him happily making her breakfast, the image of him taking her on long walks through the park, gone. Everything had been a lie, false. 

Miyeon didn’t want to be sad, she was done feeling sorry for herself. But her body betrayed her. From the tips of her toes all the way to the hairs on her head, everything felt numb, save for the constant compression of her heart, it felt like it was being smashed to smithereens. 

The doorbell continued to ring and silent tears escaped her eyes as she laid on her bed, horizontal. Falling out of the corner of her eye and rolling over her nose bridge, her saltwater tears puddled on her floral pillowcase. Clamping her scathed hands over her ears in hopes to block out the repetitive knocking and doorbell ringing happening outside her apartment door, she pulls her blankets over her head. 

___

_ Where is she? Goddamnit!  _ Minnie was getting frustrated again, no one was answering the front door. Where else would Miyeon be? Besides school, her house was the only place Miyeon went. She never left her room and rarely went outside. 

_ Maybe the roof? _ Oh god, she hoped not the roof. Bounding up the stairs two at a time, she climbed all the way up to the top of the 5th floor. Wiping a bead of sweat from her forehead before pushing the heavy metal door open. 

Minnie’s head rapidly whipped around, trying to scan the roof as quickly as possible.  _ She’s not here either. _ Exiting the building once again, defeated, she broods in the driver’s seat of her car. She didn’t really have any school work she needed to finish, the final exams for her year were already done and everybody was just trying to wrap up and graduate. 

Miyeon had a big concert coming up, one that Minnie promised she’d be there for, but Miyeon hadn’t shown up to school for the past 4 days. The worry in her stomach only grew stronger, she visited Miyeon’s house every day after school and still, no answer. 

Around the 4th day of Miyeon’s disappearance, Minnie’s sanity was running thin. Pacing outside her doorstep there was really nothing she could do. She couldn’t break-in, that was illegal, and on the off chance that she did find a house key (which she already checked under the doormat) it’s not like there’d be anyone inside, no one answered the door. 

Her only hope was to wait for Eunbin to come home and ask her. The 100 plus messages left unread that she sent to Miyeon surely didn’t help. Weighing the limited options in her head, she sits and waits outside of Miyeon’s front door.

_ It’s gonna be a long night. _ She sighed.

___

Eunbin did her best with Miyeon. She tried to get her to eat, Miyeon would just sit there and pick at her food. She had been sleeping a lot but there were still dark eye bags under her eyes. Miyeon still kept her door open, just a crack, with all the lights off, sitting in the darkness. She can’t remember the last time Miyeon spoke a full sentence to her, the girl just stayed in her room. 

She was lenient on her missing school, it was noticeable that she was in no condition to go. Eunbin wanted to get her help, a therapy session, anything to stop Miyeon from crying loud sobs in the middle of the night. It was painful for the both of them, she wished that her granddaughter would stop beating herself up for something she didn’t do. 

Getting Miyeon to help her prepare dinner with her one night was a huge step. Getting her up and moving was rare, so she just let Miyeon help cut vegetables. She stopped trying to ask her questions because she would only respond with a nod and nothing more. 

Boiling some water on the stove, she heard the monotonous sound of the knife hitting the wooden board stop. Lifting her head to look at Miyeon, she saw it again. Blood lividly leaving her fingers. 

“Miyeon!” She slightly severed her pointer finger, her eyes empty and devoid of emotion. Eunbin rushed over, covering her finger with a towel and applying pressure in an attempt to stop the rushing blood flow. “Be careful!” She scolded. 

She wasn’t let near knives after that. Eunbin was a bit scared to leave for work the next day, hiding any and all sharp objects. Her stomach churned when she saw Miyeon’s bandaged hands, her palms stained red from the still-fresh wounds and now her right pointer finger wrapped up in a thick bandage. 

_ Hopefully, she can still play. _ Miyeon rarely touched her piano these days, it reminded her of her dad. Every time she stared down at the white keys, she saw her dad playing in their old rundown apartment, looking serene. It was too burdensome, just like herself. It used to lift the weights of her problems off her shoulders, now it only brought back false memories. 

“Miyeon-ah, I’m off to work. Text me if you need anything.” She kissed her forehead, Miyeon was curled up on their couch with Mochi in her lap. She always looked on the verge of tears and as badly as Eunbin wanted to stay home and take care of her, she had an important day ahead of her that she couldn’t afford to miss. 

Eunbin called her every 3 hours, checking in on Miyeon. “Have you eaten?”

“No.” She almost whispered.

“There’s leftovers in the fridge.”

“Okay.”

Her subordinates were giving her weird looks because she was on the phone so much.

“Did you finish your online school work yet?” CUBE assigned their homework online so it would be more accessible for their students, nowadays.

“Yes.”

“I’ll be home late again, sorry.”

“.........”

“Miyeon,” She hated it when Miyeon was this way, nit she needed to encourage her if she wanted her to get better. “Why don’t you practice a little today?”

“Okay.” 

She hung up, Eunbin missed the smile that came with Miyeon playing on her keyboard. Throughout the years, it was the only thing that brought her remote happiness. Pinching the bridge of her nose annoyingly, she dived back into a huge stack of paperwork sitting on the edge of her desk. 

It was about 8 o’clock when she checked her phone, packing up her things, and straightening out her desk. Almost mechanically, she dialed Miyeon’s number. 

“Miyeon?”

“Yes.” She sounded very tired.

“Have you eaten dinner yet?”

“No.”

“Do you want me to pick up tteokbokki on the way home?”

“I’m not hungry.”

“You have to eat. Did you eat lunch?” She frowned.

“No.” 

“I’ll be home soon.” She gave up. 

“Okay.” Was the last thing Miyeon said before hanging up. 

Hanging up her white coat before leaving the hospital. Finally buckling her seat belt, she tried to get home as fast as possible, not wanting to leave Miyeon alone in their apartment for another moment. Miyeon wasn’t known for being rash, she never harmed herself before and Eunbin was sure that the deep gashes in her palms weren’t intentional, she just closed up and kept her fists tight in tense situations as a coping mechanism.

The incident with the kitchen knife was nothing more than a mistake. Surely Miyeon didn’t mean to, right? She will never forget when she walked in on Seungyeon in the bathroom, the razor blazes, the running water. Eunbin tried her best to try and keep it together because Miyeon was in the other room at the time. 

_ “You have a daughter!”  _ She had hissed at Seungyeon, but her daughter was too far gone. Taemin destroyed her life, reputation, and self-esteem, she felt like she had nothing left. Seungyeon didn’t want Miyeon, because she was a constant reminder of that horrible man, she looked just like him. She especially hated it when Miyeon would play on the little piano attached to some children’s book Eunbin had bought her. She made her stop playing until she passed, Seungyeon hated music. 

But Miyeon was different, Miyeon never really held strong anger in her heart. But when she let that knife slip, the look in her eyes said it all. They showed her how much she felt she didn’t deserve to be on this planet, how much she wanted to inflict more pain. It scared Eunbin, more than anything, she never really knew what was going on inside Miyeon’s head, but her granddaughter was so easy to read. 

Just the way Miyeon used her facial expressions and when she looked into her eyes, she saw it all. It was almost overwhelming at first, Eunbin had never seen such a miserable 3-year-old. It never got easier, but before her little episode was the happiest she had ever seen her. Tragic, it really was, so unfortunate Miyeon was born from so much pain, she didn’t deserve it and no matter how many times she told her that, Miyeon just shook her head. 

A part of Eunbinhated her daughter and Taemin, but how could she blame them. She was also responsible, she never gave Seungyeon the attention she needed as a kid, being a working single mother wasn’t easy and it was only a matter of time before her daughter rebelled. 

When she told her she was pregnant, she wanted to scream, yell, shout at her for being so ignorant. She wanted to kick her out, but she knew it would do no good. Before she had time to recollect herself and accept it, Seungyeon left. She ran away with Taemin to god knows where and didn’t see her until she showed up a couple of years later on her doorstep. Her hair long and grown out, deep, dark eye bags, a tired face, and gray hair reshaped her once youthful daughter.

Little Miyeon was no better. She was so minuscule and frail, Eunbin found it hard to believe the girl was 3. Miyeon looked so scared of everything, she flinched every time Eunbin so much as raised her arm. It was bad but slowly, the longer she stayed with her, the better it got. That was until Seungyeon hung herself in her daughter’s room. 

It was bold to say the least. Almost as if she was saying to her daughter,  _ “Look, this is what giving birth to you made me do. It’s your fault I’m hanging from the ceiling fan.” _ Miyeon was so emotionally distant after that, she held faith in nothing. Eunbin remembers coming to her parent’s day event, swatting away mean the children that taunted her granddaughter. Miyeon’s face said,  _ “My parents hated me too, the reason behind it all is because I’m truly a despicable being.” _

Frustrating almost, the way Taemin and Seungyeon ruined Miyeon, leaving her to pick up the broken pieces of their child. She tried her best, but she figured there was nothing she could to that would make Miyeon happy. She wasn’t sad all the time, there were days where she laughed more, smiled more, but deep down, she was still a dismal girl. 

Pulling the gear into park, she grabs her things in a hurried state, repeatedly pressing the elevator button. She briskly walked through the halls, making two left turns before being greeted with the sight of a sleeping teenager outside of her door. It was only 8:30, and a girl that looked a lot like Minnie was sitting with her legs crossed and head resting on her backpack outside their door. 

She could hear her light snores the closer she got.  _ I’m guessing Miyeon wasn’t in the mood to see anyone. _ Tapping the sleeping 17-year-old on the shoulder. 

“H-huh?” Minnie shot up, alert, like she wasn’t supposed to have fallen asleep. “Ms.Cho!” She scrambled to her feet, bowing and fixing her hair at the same time.

“Minnie.” She returned. “What are you doing here?”

“I-I wanted to see Miyeon, she hasn’t been answering her phone and she wasn’t at school for the past couple of days. I’ve been c-coming here every day after school, but no one answers.” She talked so fast, Jesus Christ.

“Miyeon’s… alright, she’s just a bit…” She didn’t know how to put it.  _ Depressed? Sad? Traumatized? _ She wanted to put it in a way that wouldn’t scare the teenager. “Umm, why don’t you come inside? I’m sure Miyeon would like to see you.” 

“T-thank you!” Minnie stuttered. 

Turning her key in the lock, she opened the door. All the lights were off and Mochi didn’t come running to her.  _ Oh no. _ Her heart started beating a lot faster when she looked down the hall to see Miyeon’s door closed.

_ She didn’t- No, she would never?  _ It had only been 4 days since she found her in her room, with her palms a mess.  _ There’s no way she’d- _ Well, it hadn’t been only 4 days, it’s been 17 years. 17 years of Miyeon holding onto any semblance of happiness, and it was so hard. 

_ She can’t- _ Eunbin’s brain was short-circuiting and Minnie was just looking at her confused. She ran to her door, ripping it open. 

And there she was, sitting on her piano bench, clad in thick recording headphones and fingers still touching the keys. Eunbin entered with such velocity and power, Miyeon heard through her noise-canceling headset and turning around.

“Grandma?”

___

Just the way Ms.Cho looked made Minnie tense up, she followed after her when she ran through the apartment, panic rising in her stomach. When she ripped open the door, light spilling into the hall, she saw her.

Miyeon looked thinner than she had last seen her, hands wrapped in white bandages, and deprived of sleep. Her heart hurt and felt at ease simultaneously. 

_ “Oh, thank god she’s alive.” _ Was the overall atmosphere of the room. Miyeon looked at Minnie, who was standing behind her grandma, with guilty eyes. 

Releasing the breath of air she was holding in, “I’m gonna set up dinner. Miyeon, keep this door open from now on.” Eunbin grumbled, walking out of her room and into the kitchen. 

Miyeon just looked at her, body still positioned in front of her piano and headphones sliding around her neck. 

“Minnie?”

Minnie surged forward, enveloping her in a big, tight hug. She rested her cheek on the top of Miyeon’s head. Slowly, small arms wrapped around her waist. 

“You scared me.” She talked against her head. 

“I’m sorry.” She mumbled against Minnie’s stomach.

They pulled away from each other after a few minutes, Minnie looked down at Miyeon’s hands. A peeking red color came through and Miyeon shyly hid them from her. 

She didn’t even need to ask to know it was Taemin that put her in this place, she gently grabbed one of her hands and flipped it over, pressing a little kiss on her palm. Miyeon let her face fall back into Minnie’s embrace. 

Not really caring that her grandma was minutes away from setting up dinner, her mind finally shuts up. All the thoughts quiet as she inhales the smell of Minnie’s fabric softener. Her body felt sore and fatigued. Before Minnie came over, she was trying to drown the heavy thoughts in her head out with grand musical scores, her fingers were frantically scattering across the wide expanse of their cheap plastic keys.

But now that Minnie was here, it’s almost as if she blanketed her from her worries. The raging migraine she once had was gone and her burning eyes slipped shut. Eunbin peered in through the doorway, looking at the two, Miyeon slumped against Minnie’s front and the other girl caressing her head and laying one of her hands on her shoulders.

“She’s been having trouble sleeping…” Miyeon cried her self to sleep every night after that fiasco, Eunbin vividly remembers the muffled sobs echoing their empty halls. 

“Yeah,” Minnie whispered, not wanting to wake Miyeon up. She bent down, wrapping Miyeon’s legs around her waist and picking her up, she was alarmingly light, she laid her on her bed, and pulled the covers over her. 

She was about to leave out the door of the miniature bedroom when Miyeon still held onto her hand, whining at the absence of Minnie’s warmth. 

“Can you stay?” Eunbin was whispering now too. “She hasn’t been able to get any sleep and-”

“Sure, I’d love too.” She smiled, also missing Miyeon’s presence. 

Ms.Cho dimmed the lights a little and left to finish her meal. Leaving Minnie, who laid next to Miyeon on the narrow twin-sized bed. Her girlfriend nestled into her chest, head resting on her collarbone and Minnie slipped an arm under her head and draped her other one over her waist, pulling her impossibly closer. 

“You make me crazy.” She said lastly against the crown of Miyeon’s head before falling asleep herself. 

Everything felt right, Miyeon in her arms made her feel a type of euphoria she didn’t know existed. Her chest felt so light and there was a subtle flutter inside her stomach, her mouth couldn’t help but pull into a meager smile as her whole body was being warmed by her girlfriend’s small frame.

To be completely honest, Minnie hadn’t had a good night’s rest either. Staying up waiting for a reply from Miyeon, or trying to devise an explanation for her disappearance. Everything up until now was manic and messy, the tension was leaving her body the longer she hugged her. 

It was almost like Minnie was trying to transfer her emotion through touch, she wanted to give Miyeon all the love she could give. Nothing hurt more than seeing the ones she loved suffer, she wished she could absorb all the bad thoughts in Miyeon’s head and put her at ease. 

From strangers to lovers, Miyeon was no longer a mystery to Minnie. Miyeon was so many things to her, a shining light, a talented musician, a funny dork, and a poised beauty. She thanked the gods above every day that she pushed herself to get closer to her because every day she got to make Miyeon smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave comments or whatever in my curiouscat, I love interacting with you guys [My Curious Cat](https://curiouscat.qa/AKUMA_jpg)
> 
> Looking for twt friends as per usual [My Twitter](https://twitter.com/akuma__jpg)


	10. "Forever Even If The Sunrises"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Better enjoy this fluff chapter... things are gonna get...

Minnie woke up being squished between a wall and her sleeping girlfriend. Her face was buried in Miyeon’s long, light brown locks. She inhaled her lavender shampoo as Miyeon was pressed close to her. Her body providing so much warmth, Minnie didn’t need a blanket, which was fine since Miyeon was wrapped like a little burrito, anyways. 

  


She needed to check her phone, it was still only Friday and she kind of had to go to school. Carefully moving as to not wake up Miyeon, she took her hand from her waist and into her pocket, squinting as she stared at her screen.

  


Oh, thank god it was only 6 am. Miyeon stirred when she felt Minnie pull away, grumbling something under her breath and rolling in the opposite direction. Forgetting her bed was small, she fell off the mattress. 

  


“Ow,” She rubbed her back, pouting. Minnie still thought she was the prettiest person on the planet with her cute bed head and cat pajamas. 

  


“Good morning.” She smiled down at her from where she was sitting. 

  


“Hi,”

  


“We should probably get ready, school starts in like an hour.” Minnie looked back at her phone. 

  


“Ugh, I don’t want to.” Miyeon whined, hopping back on the bed and burying her face in her pillows. 

  


“Come on, I’m sure Shuhua and Yuqi miss you.” She tugged on her arm, trying to get her up and moving.

  


“I don’t want toooooooo,” Miyeon only scooted further into her bed. 

  


With 30 minutes of trying to convince her girlfriend to get out of bed, they got ready and loaded into her car. 

  


“I really don’t want to go.” She frowned, hugging her backpack close to her in the passenger’s seat. 

  


Trying to get Miyeon out the door was like pulling teeth, Minnie knew her reluctance since she was still in an uncomfortable state. And it’s not like Miyeon missed anything, the rest of the year was filler since they were graduating soon anyway.

  


She didn’t want Miyeon to be miserable all day, weighing her options in her head, she started driving. 

  


“You’re going in the wrong direction,” Miyeon said softly. 

  


“I know, we’re not going to school.” She smiled mischievously. 

  


“Huh?” She wasn’t catching on. 

  


“I don’t know,” Minnie shrugged. “You said you didn’t want to go. Let’s go see a movie, we can hang out with those guys on the weekend or something.”   
  


Miyeon, finally smiling, nodded in agreement. She didn’t want to be snoring in class, she’d much rather be snoring in a movie theater (there was no force strong enough to keep her awake during a movie).

  


She was surprised they even let them in the building since the two were clad in well-known CUBE academy uniforms, but the box teller didn’t seem to mind at all. There was nothing new playing, so they settled on watching Parasite. Minnie had already seen the movie like 7 times and Miyeon had never heard about it, just excited to sit in the theater with Minnie. 

  


She let Miyeon pick out all the snacks, she ate anything and liked how cute Miyeon looked staring up at the big menu. She bought some jellies, a tub of popcorn, and a drink to share. Once they were done at the snack stand, they headed to their respective theater. 

  


It had been so long since she’d sat in a place like this, she typically went over to Shuhua’s and watched the latest film on her giant screen. For Miyeon, she never really went to the movies, she had no interest. She always got bored, not being able to focus on long ones but she was with Minnie, she didn’t mind it. 

  


Eventually finding their seats, Miyeon lifted the arm divider and sat closer to her girlfriend who was already digging into their large box of popcorn. 

  


Maybe it was moments like these where Miyeon felt the most loved. There were only a few times in her short life where she was truly happy, when she first got Mochi, when her Grandma cheered for her at her 5th-grade recital, and now this.

  


Her head on Minnie’s shoulder felt like home, not really paying attention to what the actors were saying, she caught up on some much-needed sleep.

  


___

  


**Shu [6:40 pm]**

Where were you today Min :(((

  


**Minnie Mouse [6:40 pm]**

Went with Miyeon to see a movie 

  


**SooSoo [6:41 pm]**

Miyeon’s back???

  


Minnie was laying in her bed, after having dropped Miyeon off after a whole day of hopping from cafe to cafe and shopping around Seoul.

  


**Gogi [6:41 pm]**

Hey idiots, wanna go to the park this weekend?

  


**SooSoo [6:41 pm]**

What are we gonna do at the park??

  


**Gogi [6:41 pm]**

Idk, have a picnic or somethin?

I’m guessing you wouldn’t know since you never go outside

  


**SooSoo [6:42 pm]**

**-_-**

  


**Jeon Jelly [6:42 pm]**

I’m down 

  


**Miyeonnie [6:43 pm]**

I can go

  


**Shu [6:43 pm]**

MIYEONNIE YOU’RE ALIVEEEEEEEE

  


**Miyeonnie [6:43 pm]**

Lol

  


**Shu [6:44 pm]**

I MISSED YOUUUUUUUU

  


Minnie laughed, Shuhua acted the exact same in person and in the group chat. It had been a long time since she and her friends all hung out outside of school. They hadn’t had a met up since Miyeon and Soyeon were added to their little group and she wanted more than anything to be surrounded by her amazing friends. 

  


**Minnie Mouse [6:44 pm]**

I can go too…

  


**Gogi [6:45 pm]**

Cool, so we can all go?

  


**Jeon Jelly [6:45 pm]**

Seems like it 

  


**Shu [6:45 pm]**

Mhm, what time?

  


**Gogi [6:46 pm]**

Around like 12, we can meet at the Han river :)

  


**Miyeonnie [6:46 pm]**

Kk

  


Turning off her phone, nothing could keep her entertained. It was almost instinct for her to head down to her studio. She hadn’t been in there for a while, too busy dealing with her life to sit down and revise her carefully crafted songs. Boredly browsing through her files, she finds herself looking at an old file titled  _ Literature_Project _ . 

  


This project as from a couple months ago, when she first met Miyeon. Was it really that long ago? She remembered when Miyeon would only speak 2 words to her and how whipped she was for her. 

  


Playing the audio file and turning up the volume on her speaker, she listened with an odd amount of anticipation. After a couple of seconds, the track begins and the opening of a soft piano being played fills her studio.

  


_ “I'm gonna stop time with you _

_ But I can't see the future I drawn _

_ It breaks like a dream _

_ It's all broken” _

  


She forgot how beautiful Miyeon’s voice was since she rarely sang. The song itself was sad, and her solemn voice only made it sadder. 

  


_ “Darkness, heart bruising _

_ If you look at the day when my tears fell _

_ Will you go away? Will I go away from you? _

_ I filled your heart that I love _

_ I think I'm going to die _

_ Will you go away? Will I go away from you?” _

  


Minnie hated that there was nothing she could do to make Miyeon’s problems go away. Back when her girlfriend was in the hospital she was 2 seconds away from smacking Taemin in the head. She was down to punch anyone that made Miyeon remotely sad in the face actually. Miyeon made her feel like she was on top of the world, she only wanted the make her feel the same. 

  


___

  


It was kind of cold outside, Minnie was leaning on the hood of her car as she waited for Miyeon to come down. They were supposedly having a group picnic near the Han river and she was taking Miyeon there. 

  


Hopping out of the elevator and out of the lobby doors, the piano prodigy came out harboring a bid fluffy blanket and a basket full of snacks. Her cheeks were a bit rosy from the cold air and from seeing Minnie waiting for her. 

  


“Hi,” She planted a kiss in Minnie’s cheek as she opened the passenger’s side door for her. 

  


It was fulfilling, to say the least, seeing Miyeon chipper and upbeat after her somber spell. They sped off to see their friends, letting the car radio take over the complacent silence. 

  


“MIYEONNIE!” Shuhua engulfed her in a huge bear hug.

  


“Nice to see you too, Shu.” Minnie deadpanned, she was pretend butt hurt that her best friend didn’t greet her as well.

  


“Hi, Minnie.” Soojin said for her girlfriend, laughing. 

  


“Where’s Yuqi?” Miyeon finally breathed after Shuhua released her from her death grip. 

  


“Soyeon’s bringing her.” Shuhua smiled at her returning friend.

  


“Speak of the devil.” Soojin pointed her head towards the approaching Porsche that pulled into a parking spot. 

  


The human version of a Maltese came barreling into Miyeon, knocking her over in the grass, screaming “MIYEON-AH!” After everyone basically toppled Miyeon over in hugs, they started unpacking the food Shuhua brought. 

  


Miyeon was sitting in between Minnie’s legs, munching on some kimbap. Yuqi was laughing at something Shuhua said in mandarin, Soojin and Soyeon were talking about college, and Minnie just rested her chin on Miyeon’s shoulder as she would occasionally feed her a piece of her food. 

  


The whole scene was heartwarmingly domestic, there was no drama, no crying, no injuries, just girls enjoying the company of their friends. 

  


___

  


They stayed at the park for several hours, Miyeon never knew that the presence of others was so enjoyable. Her whole life she was alone, she didn’t mind it, but up now she found herself laughing uncontrollably at Yuqi’s horrible jokes, having thought-provoking talks with Soojin, enjoying music with Soyeon, and chumming it up with Minnie and Shuhua. 

  


Her depressive episodes were debilitating, emotionally draining, and there was little she could to about it. She wanted to move on, she was sick and tired of it but after every obstacle, the universe sent another one her way. 

  


Miyeon wanted to get better, so her grandma wouldn’t worry too much, so Minnie would stay around, that much she’d try for.

  


The sun was setting and they decided that they’d all retire to Shuhua’s place to roast marshmallows over her backyard fire. Every time she went to Shuhua’s house, it seemed bigger and bigger. Her backyard looked bigger than where they had their picnic! 

  


Minnie hadn’t left her side since the park, now they were sitting close, side by side huddled under a blanket. Everyone was paired up, Yuqi was teasing Soyeon about how burnt her marshmallow looked, Shuhua was trying to feed Soojin a massive gram cracker sandwich, and Miyeon was staring at the fire reflection through Minnie’s big round eyes. 

  


_ It feels like I fall even deeper.  _ She thought to herself. 

  


“Want any, Miyeon-ah?” Minnie offered her a bite of her gooey concoction. “What?” She caught Miyeon staring…

  


“Y-you have something on your face,” She took the pad of her thumb and swiped it across the bottom of her lip. 

  


Simultaneously blushing and whining at the same time, “Ahhhhhh, why didn’t you tell me earlier?”

  


“Because you looked too cute, pabo.” She teased. 

  


Not wanting to egg Miyeon on anymore, being subject to more teasing, Minnie grumpily ate her sweet snack and scooted closet to her on the grass. 

  


_ I think at some point I got caught in your heart. _ Miyeon sat, basking in the warmth of the fire in front of her and the girl beside her. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to leave and suggestions, questions, things you'd like to see in this series, or anything in general in my cc. Love interacting with you guys! [My Curious Cat](https://curiouscat.qa/AKUMA_jpg)
> 
> Love my twt friends! Don't be afraid to follow me too ;) [My Twitter](https://twitter.com/akuma__jpg)


	11. "Stay In Front Of Me"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a mix of angst and wholesomeness... but not really

Never in a million years did Miyeon see herself back in this office. She talked to her grandma, saying she wanted to try therapy again…

_ “Are you sure?” _ Eunbin cautiously tiptoed her words, it had been 4 years since Miyeon when to that memorable appointment. 

_ “Y-yes. I want to get better.” _ She replied nonchalantly.

The first time she went to therapy was when she was 13. Her grandma didn’t know what to do with her, she didn’t know how to handle someone with depression, it was rough. Miyeon rarely ate back then, never left the house, and cried all the time. 

Her therapist was an old Japanese man. He tried to get her to open up, asking her about her personal hobbies and interest. Miyeon didn’t dare speak to him, let alone look him in the eye. She felt like some sideshow, like the only reason she was there was because she was unwell. She felt pressured to get better, she didn’t want her grandma to leave her too.

Now it was different, she was driven by good intentions rather than fear. But it still didn’t help that she had never done this properly before. 

Her grandma drove her to a very professional looking office building. Eunbin spared no expense and paid for the best child therapist in the city, she was also excited for Miyeon’s sudden change in heart. 

Instead of a man, her therapist was a woman this time. That only slightly eased her apparent nervousness. Her grandma waved at her when Dr.Bae emerged from her office, a girl around her age exited before her. 

_ She must be another patient. _ The girl was a lot taller than Miyeon, she had straight black bangs and legs that seemed to go on for miles. She wore a simple school uniform that Miyeon recognized to be from SM academy, a rivaling school to CUBE. Now feeling somewhat self-conscious since she was also wearing her school uniform. 

“Don’t forget to text me when you get home from Seungwans’s, okay Sooyoung?” Dr.Bae called after the leaving girl.

“Okay, bye mom.” She waved out the door.

_ Oh, it’s her daughter. _ Miyeon looked at her new therapist. She was a small woman, she looked like her daughter. They both had stark black hair but complete opposites in height. 

“Sorry, my daughter was just visiting me on my break.” She wore a warm smile. “You can follow me to my office.” 

Miyeon silently got up and trailed her. Her office was big and bright, it had large window panes behind her desk, granting Miyeon a view of the city. Everything in the office itself was modern and expensive-looking, she had a sleek looking pc perched on her desk that was scattered with white papers. On her shelves were many picture frames, ones where it looked like she was graduating, ones where she was holding a younger-looking Sooyoung, and one last one that caught her eye specifically. 

It was a picture of Dr.Bae wearing an elegant wedding dress, she looked a bit younger (not that she looked old, she currently looked in her mid 20’s but was probably not considering she had a kid that was in her late teens), and was standing across from someone at the alter.  _ A woman. _ The woman standing across from her was wearing a simpler dress, not as extravagant as Dr.Bae’s but it looked like a million bucks on her. Her alleged wife had cat-like eyes and round cheeks, her smile was brighter than the sun and it was directed towards Dr.Bae who was looking at her more lovingly. 

“That’s my wife, Seulgi.” Dr.Bae must’ve caught her staring too long, Miyeon embarrassedly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and kept her eyes trained to the floor. “Go ahead and take a seat for me.” She motioned over to the white couch in the middle of the room. 

Miyeon did as she was told, nails beginning to dig into her scabbed palms. Dr.Bae was settling in the chair across from her, opening a notebook, and clicking open a pen a few times. 

“So… Cho Miyeon!” She took a couple of seconds to read her name off her paper. “Why are you here?”

Her throat went dry, she was never good at talking and she didn’t know why she thought she could talk so easily. “I wa-ant to g-get better.” She croaked. 

“Better? May I ask at what you want to get better at?”

_ Huh? _ She was either dumb or illiterate, or a mix of both because she didn’t know what to respond with.

“P-pardon?” 

“What made you decide that you need counseling?” Dr.Bae asked her with the most empathetic expression she had. 

“M-my dad wants me to,” She didn’t really know what it was called in legal terms. “Not be his daughter anymore?” She sounded like an idiot. 

“Is that a question or a statement?”

“I just don’t know what t-the term is called.” She was a stuttering, sweaty mess.

“Hmmm,” She wrote something in her notebook. “Would you say you and your father are close?”

“No, he left when I was young.” 

“How young?”

“Three.” She was starting to loosen up, Dr.bae wasn’t going to bite. 

“And your mother?”

“S-she killed herself when I was six…” The more she said it, the easier it was to say.

She could tell Dr.bae was trying to hide the surprise on her face, “I’m… sorry.”

“Yeah,” She looked down and fiddled with her fingers, nails dirty with her peeling scabs. 

“Let’s start off on something lighter,” She flipped the page. “Any hobbies?”

“I like to play the piano.” 

“That’s good, I’ve always wanted to play an instrument myself but I never had the patience.” She smiled.

Dr.Bae seemed nice, she was warm and down to earth. She reminded Miyeon of a warm summer day, a nice spring breeze, or falling cherry blossoms. She trusted her, given the little time they’ve talked to each other, Miyeon found her self talking more and more.

“My dad played the piano too, he still does. My parents had me when they were in high school, they had to drop out.” She was sharing more.

“Hmmm,” Dr.Bae leaned forward in her seat a bit. They talked for what seemed like hours.

“I’m just tired. I’m tired of how sad I get whenever I see my family, or what’s left of it.” 

“You talked about seeing your dad for the first time about a month ago, how did you feel when you saw him?”

“I don’t know?” She unclenched her fists. “At first I was nervous, but when I saw him it’s like he never left. He showed me his new family and I got… mad.”

“And why is that?”

“I-I guess I felt forgotten.” Miyeon seldom talked about her feelings, if not ever, this whole thing she and Dr.Bae had going on was so new to her. But it felt so refreshing to have someone who would unbiasedly listen to her and not pity her. “Like I was left behind.”

Dr.Bae’s chin was placed in the palm of her hand, “Did you feel like he was going to leave you again when he first contacted you?”

“No? I don’t really know, I didn’t have enough time to process it.” She worried her bottom lip in between her teeth. “He did end up leaving again though. I didn’t really expect him to stay.”

“Was there a point in your life where you did?”

“No…” She tried thinking back to when he first left. “I asked once, my mom exploded on me and I never asked again. In my childhood, when people left, they didn’t come back.” 

“You should hold more confidence in others, maybe not your dad, but others. Not everyone in life is out to hurt you,” She said comfortingly. “Having confidence in yourself first is a good start to putting it towards others.”

Miyeon sat on those words for a couple of seconds. Confidence in herself? What the hell was this lady talking about? She wanted to ask another question, but Dr.Bae was already closing her notes. 

“I’m afraid that’s all the time we have today, thank you for sharing with me.” She flashed the same soothing smile. “I know it’s not easy but with progress, things will get better.”

“Thank you.” She didn’t stutter, she wasn’t sweating anymore, she felt calmer than ever. 

“I’ll see you again next week?”

“Yes.” She wanted to come back, she wanted to work hard.

“Goodbye, Miyeon-ssi.”

Confidence in herself, huh? She tried googling  _ “how to have more confidence in myself” _ and read down the list. 

  * _Push through self-limiting beliefs._


  * _Never confuse memory with facts._


  * _Talk to yourself._


  * _Think positive to overcome your negativity bias._


  * _Raise your curiosity levels._


  * _Overcome self-doubt._


  * _Face your fears._



Well, easier said than done. Miyeon was hopeless, sitting in the car ride to school beside Minnie, looking down at her phone.

_ No, “think positive to overcome your negativity bias”! You can do this Miyeon! _ She thought, immediately cringing at herself.  _ Oh god. _

They parked in their usual spot at school, both exiting the car and walking in hand in hand. Ever since she and Minnie started dating, she got an increasing amount of glares from girls. Assuming they wanted Minnie to be dating them, instead of some weird shut-in like herself. 

Before they knew each other, Minnie was quite the high school heartthrob. Girls left and right swooned over the smallest things she did. One time she held the door open for a 2nd year named Yeeun and the next day her locker was filled with love letters and sweet chocolates. 

It made Miyeon self loathe, she often thought she wasn’t worthy or deserving of Minnie’s attention. How could she be when half the school lusted after her girlfriend?

Miyeon never thought of her self dating anyone anyway. She always had a bone to pick with people dating in high school, like her parents. Maybe she was a bit jaded, but she had never seen anyone in love anyways, let alone be in love herself. One thing was for sure, she always liked girls. Miyeon grew up with only females around her, her mom and grandma. All the boys she knew growing up would relentlessly torment her. The girls weren’t any better, but at least they looked prettier. 

How could anyone be attracted to the sleazy grease balls in her age range? Every boy she saw would gawk at her and attempt to make conversation, she’d sit there unmoving and it would hurt their egos. In turn, making them hurt her. Why would anyone date a pimple headed boy when the girls in her class were literal goddesses?

She didn’t know what to expect, the fluttering feeling in her stomach when Minnie looked at her was definitely not normal. Everything happened so fast, going from no friends to 5 new ones  _ and _ a girlfriend. 

Everything was a bit overwhelming, all the unspoken social expectations on her shoulders came when she started dating one of the most popular girls in school. Half the time she didn’t know what she was doing, she felt so lost, like Minnie was just wasting her time dating her.

_ No, “overcome self-doubt”! _

But Minnie waiting for her after class, giving her random kisses on the cheek, and holding her hand through it all made her forget about it all. It blocked out all the glares jealous girls shot her, the nasty whispers they’d mutter under their breath, because at the end of the day, Minnie loved her and not them. 

___

Soyeon felt uncomfortable being in the presence of such a despicable person such as her father. She stopped letting him drive her to school, instead of taking her car, even if she was half-awake in the mornings. 

_ How could someone forget their own child so easily? _ It didn’t sit right with her, she couldn’t wrap her head around it, it was almost unbelievable. The way her mom and Taemin would interact, like there was nothing wrong.

Maybe that’s just how the world really was, unfair. Miyeon grew up with nothing, no one when she was over here living at the peak of luxury. It was pointless feeling guilty about something she had no control over, but she couldn’t help it. 

“Soyeon-ah, how have rehearsals been? The concert’s coming up.” Her dad asked, sipping on morning coffee at the dinner table. 

She didn’t want to answer him.

“Soyeon, answer your father.” Jieun warned.

“They’re going okay.” Her tone neutral. 

“I’ve got to get going,” Her mom glanced down at her expensive Cartier watch, getting up from her seat at the head of the table. “Goodbye, my loves.” She slipped on her shoes near the way out, leaving Taemin alone with Soyeon. 

He was sitting across from her and she finally looked up from her bowl of cereal, “How’s Yuqi?” Taemin asked. 

She hated that he was trying to make small talk with her when she clearly didn’t want to be talking with him.  _ Don’t talk about Yuqi you dumbass. _ Soyeon didn’t want her name coming out of his mouth, her name was supposed to remind her of Yuqi’s cute smile and laugh, not the poison that spews from his lips.

“She’s fine.” She got up from her seat, heading back to her room to get her things for school. Turning away from the big table before she could see his apparent frown. 

___

Minnie was spinning in her cushy office chair, alone. She asked Miyeon if she wanted to come over and… record some songs, but she had a therapy appointment. 

“I’m booooooooored.” She said loudly, hoping someone would hear.

“Go hang out with your girlfriend, pabo!” Mic yelled from the kitchen.

“She’s buuuuuusy!” 

“Then shut up!” Mac screamed from the living room.

“You two are no fun anymore.” She closed the door to her office. 

God, it’s been ages since she’s touched her music equipment. Her fingers brushing over the synth sampler sitting on her desk. Giving up on trying to get her brothers to entertain her, she reaches over for her worn lyric notebook, flipping open a fresh page. 

The notebook itself was thick and she’d been using it for years, every page was evenly yellowed with age and time. The ink of her cheap ballpoint pen slid over the blank space, filling the page full of words. 

_ “Here and there, why is everything cool? _

_ No matter who looks at you, you look cool _

_ To me who's worried every night _

_ To me who likes you” _

She thought back to when she went to Miyeon’s concert. Throughout her whole life, Minnie had been carefree. She didn’t care about school or her grades, she didn’t enjoy sports, the only thing she liked was music. But seeing Miyeon up on that stage, with a sparkle in her eyes, she showed her something she’d never seen before.  _ Compassion. _

_ “Please give me your love _

_ No matter how much I receive it's not enough _

_ I like you _

_ I seem to like you this much” _

Minnie  _ liked _ music, but she never really looked how Miyeon looked playing the piano. The flash of Miyeon’s pearly white teeth and scrunched up eyes when she smiled was pictured at the forefront of her mind. She didn’t feel compassion when she played music, Minnie felt compassion when she wrote about the ones she loved. 

___

It was dark when she finished her session with Dr.Bae. Every time she walked out of her office doors, she felt infinitely lighter. Normally, talking about her feelings was exhausting, but with Dr.Bae it was tolerable. She waited with open ears when Dr.Bae analyzed her actions, she wanted to know what she could do to improve. 

Feet dragging against the carpet floor, she looks over at the waiting area after the secretary tells her Eunbin is waiting in the lobby. 

There was a woman wearing an oversized button-down shirt and pressed slacks, her hair was long and wild. She looked a lot like the woman in the picture Dr.Bae kept on her shelf. The woman looked up and smiled once she made eye contact with her therapist. Not really acknowledging Miyeon, who just got out, the woman walked over to the doctor and planted a kiss on her lips. 

_ That must be her wife, Seulgi. _ Seulgi was a couple of inches taller than her wife but still shorter than Miyeon. The pure love emanating off the two was noticeable, it stuck with Miyeon after she left the building with her grandma. 

_ Is that what love is? _ Their display of affection was so strong, it left a lasting impression on her. It sort of reminded her of how she felt when Minnie smiled at her or hugged her, she was always warm, even on the coldest winter days in Korea. Her hands were always warm, wrapped around Miyeon’s.

Sitting at her desk, she had already finished every assignment given to her. Lazily rummaging through her drawers, she comes across a box of small beads.

_ Oh yeah. _ She completely forgot. Miyeon was going to make Minnie a bracelet but forgot about it a long time ago. She remembers texting Minnie, asking what her favorite color was. Not feeling that stupid, since Minnie most likely forgot as well, she never asked her what it was for.

Setting up the beads on her desk and pulling out a thread and needle, she started on her bracelet. This was one of the only things her mom taught her, how to make small flower bracelets. On good days, she remembers sitting with her mom on their dingy balcony, under the summer sun. Her mom would teach her how to thread a needle and make tiny flowers out of plastic beads.

Something so delicate and beautiful like the bracelets her mom made deeply contrasted the life they lived. It made their relationship salvageable, Miyeon sitting in her lap while she watched Seungyeon string small green beads on a thin piece of thread. She made them matching ones, with cute yellow flowers in between the series of green. 

Halfway into making her bracelet, Miyeon sets it down, opening the bottommost drawer on her left side.  _ There it is. _ She took out a small bandaid tin can, opening it and finding a pair of matching jewelry. 

_I forgot this was here._ _Was my wrist really this small?_ One of the bracelets was small, too small to fit her and the other one was bigger. She put on her mom’s bracelet and it fit her perfectly. 

Seungyeon wasn’t always as wistful as she was on her last days. Before Taemin left, they were somewhat happy. Miyeon recollected back to the times where she would have nightmares as a little kid. She would sneak into her parent’s bed, laying down in between them. Everything back then was so complicated, it wasn’t supposed to be like that.

None of this was supposed to happen, she wasn’t supposed to exist. She hated herself for what she did to her mom. Dr.Bae said it wasn’t her fault, that’s what everyone said, she had no choice, she couldn’t choose. 

Miyeon missed her mom, she missed going to the farmers market with her on early Sunday mornings, watching her try to haggle the price down for some packaged ramen, watching her and Taemin dance to the crappy radio they owned that would only play Frank Sinatra. 

She missed her mom so much, there was so much she wanted to tell her. She wanted to tell her when she got the lead section roll in her orchestra, when she passed her exams with high scores, when she first went to the beach, when she first fell in love. 

It had been so long since she visited her. The little plot she occupied in the funeral home, the little ceramic urn she resided in, Miyeon only visited her once. 

Minnie’s bracelet was finished, it was a mix of light pink that complimented the petals she made out of white beads. She tied the clasps on and dropped the string into a small velvet pouch, slipping it in her backpack pocket so she wouldn’t forget it.

_ I can’t change the past. _ She said to herself again, the first time she said it was when she saw her dad and his new wife.  _ But I can look forward to the future. _ Her fingers fiddled with the small article on her wrist. 

“Miyeon-ah! Dinner’s ready!” Her grandma called. 

Maybe she’d have to visit her mom soon, just to fill her in on all that she’s missed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my cc is always opened if you guys have questions about the story or have any theories [My Curious Cat](https://curiouscat.qa/AKUMA_jpg)
> 
> you can yell at me on twitter and use the hashtag #WWGINE [My Twitter](https://twitter.com/akuma__jpg)


	12. "As If You Would Give Anything To Me"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry to announce I'm going to be updating less frequently. School is starting up for me this week and I need to focus on my AP classes this year, we're probably looking at 1 or 2 updates per week :'(. I will try my best, thank you.

Miyeon was full of surprises these days. Eunbin almost choked on her drink when she asked if she could visit her mom. They never talked about Seungyeon, ever, and she was surprised to have Miyeon even bring it up. 

_ Dr.Bae must’ve brought it up. _ She thought, but when she asked her after one of Miyeon’s sessions, she said they never really talked about her mom. Only when she saw the bracelet on her granddaughter’s wrist did she finally understand. 

She was taking the whole day off, Eunbin was going to take Miyeon to Seungyeon’s plot after school. It was near the afternoon and she was still at school, Eunbin was left in the empty apartment with Mochi. 

Feeling inexplicably nostalgic, she stands up from her spot on the couch, pacing around the shelves nailed to her walls. There were only a few pictures, one from when Miyeon graduated kindergarten, middle school, and one of Miyeon walking Mochi at the beach. Near the ledge of the thick wooden shelf, there were two picture frames flipped down. They were pictures of Seungyeon. 

She looked sad, Miyeon was sitting in her lap reading a picture book. The other frame was a family picture, she, Seungyeon, and toddler Miyeon were standing neatly in front of the hospital she worked at. Eunbin remembers when that picture was taken, she had just gotten a promotion and wanted to celebrate with her girls. 

Tucked into the corner of the old frame was a tiny picture of baby Miyeon, one that was taken before she came to live with her. She was wearing a set of baby clothes that looked too big for her, her eyes opened wide looking hopefully up at whoever was taking the picture. 

_ She really does look like Seungyeon. _ Eunbin pondered, before heading to her room. She pulled open her closet doors, eyes searching for something specific.  _ Ah, there it is. _

She reached for a worn paper box that was hidden underneath her shoe rack. Inside were piles and piles of old pictures. When she had Seungyeon, she felt a strong urge to document everything. Eunbin plopped down on the floor, beginning to sift through the years of memories. 

The first picture she pulled out was one of Seungyeon messily eating an ice cream cone, she was about 4 in the picture. Throughout the years, Seungyeon was a wild kid, always laughing and smiling. Eunbin was more like Miyeon, she enjoyed the mundane things in life, not really wanting to try anything new, she loved her job. Seungyeon started lashing out in her early teen years and Eunbin found it increasingly hard to control her. 

Polaroids of Seungyeon listening to a walkman, laying in the middle of their living room struck her a bit too hard. She looked so peaceful, her eyes closed, she had never looked more beautiful. All Seungyeon wanted was a mom, someone who could be there. Eunbin was a single mom and a working parent, she had a career she needed to focus on and a moody daughter to take care of.

If she could do back, she would’ve paid more attention to Seungyeon, seen all the signs. There were times when her daughter wouldn’t come home, she didn’t notice because she was too dead tired from a full day at the hospital. She didn’t know when Seungyeon changed, she only knew that she did. Her daughter was becoming more distant, she would share less, spend less time at home, and spend more time with her friends. 

There was no way Eunbin could’ve seen this coming. Finding a positive pregnancy test in the bathroom garbage nearly killed her. The truth still remains, she was sorry, she wanted to say how sorry she was to her daughter, that it was all her fault, that she wasn’t there, that she was a horrible mom. 

Being the rebellious teen she was, Seungyeon ran off with what she thought her true love was. How naive of her, life wasn’t all love stories and cliches, it was full of sick, horrible people that wanted nothing more than to get by. Before she Seungyeon had Miyeon, Eunbin had only met Taemin once. She remembers seeing a tall lithe boy blowing kisses to her daughter when she picked her up.

_ “Do you have a boyfriend?” _ She asked.

_ “No mom, he’s just a friend.” _ Seungyeon defused. 

Man, for someone with a doctorate degree, she really as dumb. She moved on to the last pile, it was pictures of Seungyeon as a baby, wearing cute clothes, her hair up in pigtails.

Watching the small tears slide off the smooth surface of the photo paper, Eunbin cracks. She raised Miyeon out of pure guilt, as if the universe was giving her another chance to prove herself as a mother. Miyeon was an easy kid, but she was so sad all the time. Everything she tried to do only seemed to make things worse. One time she found Miyeon sleeping on the cold floor next to her mom. She tried to get the girl to sleep in her own bed, where it was warmer, which only resulted in her having a meltdown, waking everyone in the room. She didn’t want to leave Seungyeon’s side, afraid she’d leave too.

Inside, Eunbin felt like the worst person on the planet, she caused all of this. She tried to make it up to Seungyeon, she tried her hardest with Miyeon. Wiping her tears, Mochi’s barking pulled her back to reality. It was almost time for her to go pick up Miyeon, not wanting her granddaughter to see her in a distressed state, she put on a happy smile. 

___

Miyeon didn’t feel like she necessarily needed to tell her friends why she couldn’t hang out after school today. Shuhua wanted to take her and Yuqi shopping around the city, but she was visiting her mom today. 

What was she supposed to say?  _ Hey guys, can’t go shopping at some expensive boutique because I have to talk to my dead mom at some morbid funeral home! _ Shuhua noticed her unwillingness to give them a better excuse than “I’m busy, sorry” and didn’t pry after that. 

Minnie noticed, too. She noticed how quite Miyeon got when Shuhua asked, brushing her thumb across their conjoined hands in an attempt to soothe her. She was actually going to ask her if she wanted to go on a date this weekend, it was almost their 100th day but she kept it to herself since Miyeon didn’t seem in the mood to accept any invitations yet. 

Seeing her grandma’s car outside, she was a bit nervous. She seldom talked about her mom, she didn’t like past memories, they only made her sadder. But this was a hurdle she needed to jump. 

_ Face your fears. Face your fears. _ She repeated in her head as she got in the car. She often reread that stupid list she found on wiki-how on how to be more confident. It was useful, considering she didn’t know what she was doing, it gave her more direction. 

“Are you ready?” Her grandma looked at her, trying not to sound uneasy herself. 

“I guess.”  _ It’s now or never. _ It’s not like her mom ceased to exist after death, there were still traces of her in Miyeon’s life. Like whenever Miyeon saw something green she’d think  _ “Mom would like that.” _ , or when she looked in the mirror and saw her mom in her. As painful as it was, it was something that needed to be addressed. 

The funeral home wasn’t as terrible as she remembered. When she was younger she had nightmares about this place. She thought that the sickly old man that ran it trapped her mom in a grey jar, not fully understanding the concept of cremation. 

They brought flowers, it seemed only fitting. Rarely did someone visit their mom’s grave and not bring flowers. Setting it down to the side, they just stand there, Miyeon’s eyes tracing over her name 100 times before she came to the realization that her mom was really gone. 

It only took her 17 years. She knew her mom was dead, but she had a feeling that she was going to come back. A childish fever dream, she so desperately wanted her mom to return to her. Only now did she finally accept her absence, letting a few tears fall out, she touched the glass box the jar was enclosed in and walked out of the funeral home. There was so much she wanted to say, but she knows her mom already knew if she was watching her from above.

Normally, thoughts of her mom were burdensome but now she felt lighter. Similar to how she felt when she talked with Dr.Bae. An important thing Dr.Bae had told her was that although revisiting memories can be painful, it’s a crucial part of getting over it. 

Both she and her grandma were emotionally spent when they got home, Eunbin took a nap on the couch while Miyeon was watching “King Of The Masked Singer” while laying on the floor. The dull buzz of her phone was deafened from Mochi’s fat butt sitting on it. 

**Minnie ( ✌︎'ω')✌︎ [8:35 pm]**

Wanna go out to dinner tmr night?

**Miyeon o(^-^)o [8:37 pm]**

Sure

Where?

**Minnie ( ✌︎'ω')✌︎ [8:37 pm]**

Somewhere nice….

It was Friday night and Miyeon for once in a long time was content with herself. If she thought about it, she had a lot going on for her. Getting up and turning off the tv, she drapes a blanket over her sleeping grandma and exits to her room. 

Feeling the most normal she’s been in years, she picks an out fir for tomorrow, heart pace quickening in the idea of going out with Minnie. 

_ Is this what it’s like to feel like a teenager? _

___

Minnie was in a manic state, running all over her house in order to calm down. She made Soojin take her back to that place where she got Shuhua’s anniversary present, spending an absurd amount of money on a necklace the thinks Miyeon’d like, not to mention the $2,299 piano sitting in her garage. 

Shuhua was planning some extravagant birthday for her and she only wanted Miyeon to have a good time. Straightening out her jacket in the mirror for the 50th time before laving her house.

“What’s wrong with her?” Mic pointed to her, asking Mac.

“I don’t know, she’s been like that all day.” 

“I gotta go!” She jumped out of the house and into her car. 

**Minnie ( ✌︎'ω')✌︎ [6:16 pm]**

I’m outside

She slapped her cheeks a few times after she shot Miyeon a text.  _ Calm down. _

How could she when Miyeon looked like that? She came out wearing a floral pattern aline dress, with a pair of white sneakers, she looked so perfect Minnie’s heart hurt. 

“Hi,” Miyeon kissed her on the cheek.

“H-hi,” She was trying not to look like a flustered mess but was failing miserably. 

“Where are we going?”

“It’s a secret.” She gained some of her confidence back. 

Once they arrived at the restaurant they were seated immediately, the head manager remembered her and gave them their best service. That was one of the only things about being stupid rich that irked Minnie, people being treated better because of their bank account.

Speaking of bank account, Miyeon almost fainted when she looked at the menu. She wanted some soup that costs more than her whole outfit. Her grandma gave her a credit card, but she didn’t feel comfortable spending so much on a  _ meal _ . The appetizers were $30 for godsakes, $30 for some small plate of lettuce and dressing.

Minnie noticed the tiny panic flash across Miyeon’s face, it was cute. Her eyes widened and her nostrils flared a bit, it made Minnie want to reach over and pinch her cheeks. 

“Don’t worry, I’ll pay.” She smiled pleasantly, defusing the girl’s worries.

“N-no, you don’t have to. I-” 

“Miyeon-ah,” She laughed. “It’s part of my gift to you, relax.” 

_ Oh right, it’s our anniversary. _ Miyeon thought, remembering the bracelet hidden in her purse. Again, she forgot to give it to Minnie at school and thought it was better to give it to her today.  _ What better time than the present, right? _ She dug her fingers into her back, pulling out the small familiar velvet pouch. 

“I made you something,” She handed it to her and awaited a reaction. 

Watching Minnie’s face contort into an even bigger grin was fulfilling. She smiled so hard, immediately putting the bracelet on and admiring it. 

“Daebak! How did you make this, it’s so pretty.”

Blushing at the compliment, “I made it with a thread and needle.”

“Thank you, Miyeonnie.” The gesture was so kind it made Minnie’s ears burned. “I got you something too, it’s not as cool but-” She fished the necklace out of her pocket. It was in an expensive acrylic case, with the jewelry company’s logo printed on it. 

If Minnie thought she was blushing bad, Miyeon was the human embodiment of red. Her delicate fingers carefully opened the box and she lowered her head so that her hair would hide her ridiculous face. 

“I love it.”  _ I love you. _ She really wanted to say but she was too much of a coward. 

They enjoyed the rest of the dinner, laughing at Minnie’s horrible jokes and talking about their college choices. Minnie would be attending Korea university to study music production and Miyeon was waiting to hear back on her application to Seoul National University, majoring in music composition and theory. 

Minnie paid the bill and lead Miyeon back to her back by the waist. Before she could open the door to her car for her, Miyeon spun them, sandwiching herself between Minnie and the car. Her heart sped up, she was so close to her she could feel Miyeon exhale against her nose. 

Grabbing her firmly by the collar of her shirt, Miyeon pulled her into a languid kiss. Her lips soft and warm against hers, Minnie turned her head to the side a bit to deepen it. The only thing that caught her off guard, was how willing Miyeon was to take the lead, biting Minnie’s bottom lip, wordlessly asking for an entrance and Minnie granting it to her. 

The ring of Miyeon’s phone rudely interrupting them was enough for Minnie to groan against her when she felt her girlfriend pull away. Feeling all hot and bothered, she let her answer her phone, it was a call from Shuhua. Everyone pray for Shuhua, she was not going to let her live after intruding in on something so intimate. 

_ It’s fine, we have all the time in the world. _ She calmed herself, watching Miyeon animatedly talk to her best friend on the other line. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are nearing the end of this story....
> 
> Love to hear feedback from you guys <3 [My Curious Cat](https://curiouscat.qa/AKUMA_jpg)  
> Feel free to follow my twt, looking for more mutual :) [My Twitter](https://twitter.com/akuma__jpg)


	13. "Unforgettably Burning Night"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this chapter listening to BoA’s Milky Way sung by Red Velvet, so expect wholesomeness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes! I'm alive, I was struggling to transition from all the story angst to fluff so you better enjoy this >:)

When the papers came to her door, she didn’t cry. Where a couple of weeks ago, this would’ve broken her, she felt fine. Working with Dr.Bae greatly improved her mental health, she was able to control and access how she was feeling. She couldn’t blame her father for wanting to leave something he never wanted in the first place. 

In her profound opinion, she thought it was better her dad left. Even if he had stayed, Seungyeon still would’ve met the same unruly end. It was bound to happen either way, Seungyeon wasn’t a particularly happy person. 

Instead of mopping over her dead beat dad, she said good riddance. Singing the paper and shoving it back into the mailbox feeling finally free. Taemin was now a memory of the past, she was able to be free from the emotional distress 17 years of neglect brought her, she was ready to move on. 

Miyeon was practicing in the concert hall, on one of the keyboards with her headphones plugged in. She asked Ms.Lee to give her back her part as a lead pianist in the composition, Miyeon and her therapist both agreed that she needed to overcome her stage fright if she wanted to play professionally.

These days, Soyeon’s been playing easier pieces, not really going as hard as she normally does near the end of the year. Miyeon would be opening and closing their last concert, Soyeon was playing in between. She didn’t seem bothered by it at all, spending her time with Yuqi instead of practicing, and writing songs instead of spending her free period in the practice room. Soyeon seemed more… peaceful, laid back if you will. 

Miyeon, on the other hand, had to sacrifice her lunches with Minnie in order to get ready for the big night. Her last orchestra night was arguably bigger than graduation itself, this was her moment to prove to herself that she improved after 4 years of hiding in her shell. It was still hard to talk to other people, she was shy by nature but she liked being around others, whether it be her small group of friends or her old section mates, Miyeon felt like a new person. 

“Ugh, I’m dead tired.” She flung herself on the lunch table, Minnie sliding into the seat next to her. Miyeon decided to take a day off from practicing, all she could think about were musical notes. 

“Concert comin’ up?” Soojin asked, mouth half full of rice.

“Mhm,” Her response slightly muffled by her head being buried in her arms.

“How come Soyeon’s not as burnt out?” She chewed.

“Cause I don’t practice like a crazy person.” Soyeon was sipping on chocolate milk from a carton.

“Aish, Miyeonnie. You put too much pressure on yourself, you’re gonna do great!” Shuhua tried to lighten the girl’s mood. 

The rest of their lunch was filled with Miyeon, half-awake, eating her food, trying her best to understand what Minnie was saying to her. Something about a new song she was writing, she couldn’t quite process words at the moment. 

___

She should’ve seen this coming. Soyeon felt sick to her stomach when her parents celebrated by having an expensive dinner at some fancy restaurant. What were they celebrating you ask? Taemin disowning Miyeon of course! And of course, Taemin got his part in the Seoul orchestra.

She had never wanted to scream louder in her life until right now when her parents were clinking champagne glasses and eating lobster.  _ Well, there goes Miyeon’s inheritance. _ She scowled. Soyeon barely ate anything, to disgusted at her parent’s despicableness. 

“Why aren’t you eating, Soyeon-ah.” Taemin looked at her, shoveling more shellfish onto her plate. 

“I’m not hungry.” She looked away.

“Stop being so sour, we’re celebrating!” Jieun looked too happy for her own good. 

“And what exactly are we celebrating?” Taemin looked down at his plate, guilty, and Jieun just glared back at her.

“Jeon Soyeon,” She warned.

“No really, what are we celebrating? Dad tossing Miyeon away like she’s garbage? This is evil mom, do you know what she’s been through?”   
  


“I don’t care what she’s been through, now shut up and eat your food.” Jieun said in a low growl.

“This is ridiculous.” She gets up from her seat, wanting nothing more than to leave this hostile atmosphere. “I’m leaving.” 

“Just let her be,” Jieun laid a hand on Taemin’s arm, he was about to go after her.

___

Miyeon simply did not give a fuck anymore. She was too dead tired, the pianist basically had the music notes to her piece engraved into her eyelids and could play the whole song with one hand. She was so prepared that she even let herself go to bed early and get 12 hours of sleep. The entire day at school she distracted herself, not wanting to even touch on the topic that she’d be playing the opening performance for her last high school show in front of hundreds of people…. 

Yeah, she was kinda wrong. Throwing up in the backstage bathroom 30 minutes before she needed to be on. 

She  _ almost _ had it, but she was going to nail this goddammit! Straightening out her dress, she rinsed her mouth and a deep breath before heading out on the stage. The bright lights almost blinding her when she got up to sit on the big piano bench. 

Looking out into the big mahogany concert hall, once empty when she came during her free periods was now jam-packed with families anticipating s good performance. The red velvet seats now filled with unfamiliar faces, she sits in her seat.

Trying the breathing technique Dr.Bae taught her, she blocked out the big speech Ms.Lee was telling the audience. She could feel Minnie’s eyes on her, somewhere in the crowd. This was her first concert where so many people came to see her, she had Soojin, Shuhua, Yuqi, and Minnie rooting for her and Soyeon. 

She was treating this like it was a sports event, only she was competing with herself. The low murmur of the crowd quieted and she looked up for the conductor to give her a hand signal. Miyeon wiped her sweaty palms on her lap, taking in a big gulp of air before she started playing. 

Closing her eyes, she let the music come to her. Fingers finding their rightful place on the ivory keys. This was a coming of age piece, her whole life was a coming of age piece. She started writing this song near the beginning of her freshman year. It truly was a song that told of her life and all of its complexity. 

Perfectly timing the milliseconds between each key, her fingers moving expertly across the wailing piano. The beginning is slow and soft, low notes express the doleful, heavy-hearted receptivity of her early childhood. Cold, lost, alone, were all the impressions she got of life from the ages 1-10. 

The blue tune she played became more intense, the pacing picked up and her fingers started burning from the intensity. Like she was pouring all her anger into her work, behind her eyelids she saw kids picking on her, young and old. The pain and agony was painted across her once indifferent expression, her eyebrows furrowing. She harshly pounded down on the keys, stomping down on its pedals, deepening the anguished sound.

For a long time, Miyeon hated herself. She hated how much she and her mom looked alike, reminded of her lifeless hanging body from the ceiling fan, she hated her ability to naturally play the piano, reminded of her absent father playing for her before he left, she hated how shy and timid she was, making her an easy target for other kids to tease. She hated it all, she wanted to be blown off the face of the earth for the longest time. Only then did Minnie, her friends, Dr.Bae show her the beauty behind her imperfections.

The song slowed down, her hands shifted to the lighter sounding keys, making a brighter sound. People who saw her as something different, people who didn’t remind her she was a mistake. The music she was playing was tainted with a hint of melancholy and hopefulness, her hands freeze and pull back. She opens her eyes, feels the droplets of sweat fall off her forehead and onto the keys. She doesn’t dare look into the audience, but roars sound the echoey space. 

“MIYEON-AH!” She laughs when she hears Minnie’s thunderous voice cheering for her, getting off stage, and letting Soyeon play her piece. 

___

She never in a million years saw herself attending a high school party. Miyeon didn’t know enough people to be able to conjure up a decent gathering but here she was, sitting in Shuhua’s back yard for her surprise birthday with half the school getting drunk over beer pong and jumping in the pool. 

“HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ONE OF THE MOST TALENTED PIANISTS ALIVE!!!!!!!!!!!” Yuqi screamed into a microphone at the DJ stand Soyeon was playing with. She looked in her element, much more relaxed than when she preformed, spinning records like it was second nature to her. 

Miyeon was drinking some fruity drink a kid from her chemistry class handed her. It smelled like cherries but burned on the way down her throat, making her light-headed. 

The girl that threw her this huge birthday bash was straddling Soojin’s lap, not even realizing she was supposed to be hosting.  _ The gays are going to be the death of us all, I tell you. _ Miyeon laughed to herself. 

Two strong hands wrapped around her waist, spinning her face to face with the beautiful Minnie. Her cheeks were kind of red, she looked flushed. When she opened her mouth, Miyeon smelled the strong scent of soju (Korean vodka). 

“You’re so pretty,” Minnie looked out of breath.

“You’re drunk.”

“Yeah, but you’re still pretty.” She laughed and gave her a peck on the lips, giving her a taste of the hard liquor on her. 

She didn’t really know what to do, was she supposed to dance? Talk to the many people at her party who she didn’t know? She was truly inexperienced in this field. Shuhua finally getting up off of Soojin’s lap, sensing her uneasiness. 

“Miyeonnie! Why don’t you join us in a game of beer pong?” She really didn’t but what else was she supposed to do? At least Shuhua made an effort and tried. 

Going over the rules real quick, she was put into a team with Minnie, Soojin, and Shuhua. Their first opponents were Lucas Wong the team captain of the varsity basketball team, Kim Yerim from the school’s choir, Kim Kai from the baseball team, and Im Nayeon from the cheerleading squad. Being around so many popular people would’ve put Miyeon into a coma but she tried to have fun for the sake of all the effort Shuhua put into this party. 

She volunteered to go first, only so she wouldn’t feel the pressure of going last and having to make a more difficult shot. Flicking her wrist like a first-timer, she surprisingly makes it in. Practically jumping out of her skin when the crowd watching them play cheers her on, she didn’t realize how many people had gathered around them. 

Since they were playing in teams of four (Miyeon learned that you usually play in teams of two) there were two triangles of cups set up instead of one. Miyeon watches as Lucas chugs the first cup down like a mad man, roaring after he finished and missing his shot. Shuhua and Yerim were next, they both made it and had to drink up. Soojin grimacing, Shuhua was already drunk.

Minnie stepped up on her side of the ping pong table, hitting a cup in the far right corner of the other side. Kai groaned loudly but drank his beer and the game went on.

In the final round, Nayeon was hammered, slurring her words and leaning heavily on Yerim’s shoulder trying not to barf in front of so many people. Kai, unfortunately, couldn’t hold it in. Who knew drinking a whole bottle of Smirnoff before playing was a bad idea? Soojin had to drag Shuhua away before she’d do (or drink) something she’d regret tomorrow. But Lucas was still going on strong, heading into the last round. 

That boy was pure crazy, the amount of alcohol he consumed before and while playing was insane. He even offered to drink Kai’s share when he was forced to spend the rest of the night hugging Shuhuha’s expensive toilet bowl. Miyeon only drank a few cups, she was tipsy though, don’t get it wrong. Having not built up a good tolerance, she could see herself hungover tomorrow. 

Now Soojin was the real champ, she had to drink her’s  _ and _ Minnie’s portions since Minnie was Miyeon’s designated driver and had to sober up. On top of all of that, she needed to appear level headed in order to handle her wrecked girlfriend who was 2 seconds away from jumping in the pool… for the second time that night. 

Leaving just Miyeon and Lucas to compete, having gathered a pretty big crowd of people watching them play. For some odd reason, Miyeon was really good at beer pong, which was even odder considering she had never touched a sport in her life. Lucas was red-faced and shirtless, having ripped it off halfway through the game in a drunken state. 

But by god she did it, she won. Launching the neon orange ping pong ball into the last cup on the table. Some tall lanky dude named Chanyeol from her homeroom class hoisted her upon his left shoulder with ease and everyone around her erupted onto a fit of wild cheers. 

_ “MI-YEON, MI-YEON, MI-YEON, MI-YEON!” _ Everyone cheered in unison. 

Validation, something she had been deprived of for nearly 17 years. Words of affirmation were not something she took lightly, often met with plain denial or disbelief, kind and genuine words scared Miyeon. She felt on top of the world, like all the anxiety of interacting with her peers, worrying about how they perceived her, was gone. 

Once Chanyeol put her down, the party fell back into its usual lull, people dancing to the music, talking, and drinking. Minnie left saying she needed to use the restroom quickly and Miyeon spotted Shuhua in the pool. 

Walking over to the ledge, drink in hand, she looked down at the Taiwanese royalty doggy paddling in the water, looking rather euphoric. Soojin was laying on a lawn chair near her, blackout drunk, assuming Shuhua took the first chance she got to take a little dip in the pool. 

“Hi, Miyeonnie!” She laughed, seemingly drunk, actually very drunk. 

“Uh, is Soojin going to be okay?” Miyeon looked over to her sleeping girlfriend.  _ Is she even alive? _

“She’s fine, huhaah.” Shuhua giggled. 

Checking her phone, it was near midnight. Her grandma wouldn’t be home, she was working the graveyard shift at her hospital. Minnie threw an arm over her should to try and protect her from the cold of Shuhua’s back yard. 

“It’s getting late, wanna get going?” It was her birthday and tomorrow would be the start of their winter break, but she did want to get a couple of hours of sleep before braving a bad hangover the next day. 

“Sure.” Minnie lead them through the house and to her neatly parked car. The silence was deafening, Miyeon was trying her best not to burst out into a fit of drunken laughter. Feeling her mood change, looking at her effortlessly beautiful girlfriend. Minnie was wearing in a simple graphic tee, tucked into a pair of vintage jeans. Her hair dark was getting longer and her bangs were growing out, Minnie’s once thick choppy bangs were brushed out of her forehead. 

Once they parked outside of her building, Miyeon felt the strong urge to be closer to her girlfriend. She didn’t want to spend the rest of her 17th birthday alone in an empty apartment and much to her better judgment since she was pretty drunk, she climbed into Minnie’s lap. 

“I can walk you up- Woah, uhh-” Minnie stuttered as the pianist found purchase on her lap, looking down at her with hooded eyes. Before Miyeon opened herself up to people, no one truly knew how beautiful she was, only Minnie at this moment saw her delicacy in its entirety. Her eyes traveling across Miyeon’s cheeks which were tinted a nice shade of pink, to one side of her long hair tucked neatly behind her left ear, to her big doe eyes, and perfect nose, lastly to her plush lips curling into a sly smile. 

Miyeon grabbed her by the collar, pulling her into a kiss, she tasted like cheap beer and cherry chapstick. Feeling bold, Minnie nibbled on her bottom lip, wordlessly asking for permission to enter, and Miyeon complied. She tangled her long fingers up in Minnie’s hair, pulling her head to the side slightly in order to gain better access to her mouth, Minnie’s hands sneaking up Miyeon’s skirt and slightly gripping her thighs earring a groan out of the both of them.

Moving her hands to her shoulders and pulling her closer. Minnie leaned forward a bit, face to face with Miyeon’s chest. Good thing it was dark as night inside her Mercedes so no one could see how red she got. Pulling her head back up by her chin, Miyeon kissed her again but this time with more urgency and hunger. Only wanting to close the distance between them, Minnie moves impossibly closer to the beautiful girl perched on her lap. 

The atmosphere inside the cramped driver’s seat was hot and steamy, Minnie felt her soul leave her body when Miyeon moaned her name while she was leaving open-mouthed kisses along her neck. She wished she taken a picture because the sight of Miyeon with her head thrown back and eyes screwed shut in pleasure was something she never wanted to forget. 

Minnie must’ve moved them too far up in her seat because when Miyeon leaned back slightly against her steering wheel, she triggered the car horn, scaring the both of them. Grabbing her by the waist and away from the blaring horn, and letting out an annoyed sigh.  _ Well, now that’s ruined. _

“How about you walk me up?” Miyeon whispered hotly in her ear, hands gripping her stern shoulders.

_ Yes, yes, god yes. _ Minnie thought, quickly unbuckling her seatbelt and scampering after Miyeon who was already through the building door. 

Once they reached her unit after what seemed like hours, Minnie pressed her up against the door and trapped her lips against hers, one hand on her waist and the other in her hair. The obscene sounds of Minnie’s tongue entering Miyeon’s mouth were enough for Miyeon to let out a small moan but much to her chagrin, she abruptly pulled away. They were still out in the hallway and Miyeon would die if one of her neighbors caught her making out with her girlfriend this late at night, so she finished fishing her keys out fo her bag and pulled Minnie inside with her. 

Stumbling over each other in a frantic attempt to take off their shoes, they finally made it to her bedroom. Miyeon pushing her down onto her bed and straddling her.

“You’re so beautiful,” Minnie rasped and Miyeon could only reply with another kiss. 

“What’s that?” Snapping out of her lustful haze, she detached their lips. It was dark in her small room but she didn’t miss the large outline of a huge box sitting beside her piano stand.

“Huh?” Minnie turned her head, following Miyeon’s line of sight. Eye’s landing on the surprise present she had Soojin sneak into her room after Minnie picked her up for the party. “Uhh, surprise!”

“What?”

“I got you a present and I asked Soojin so sneak in and deliver it.” her hands slithering to her small waist. 

“What is it?” Miyeon had the attention span of a goldfish right now, forgetting about how needy she was seconds ago. She got off Minnie and crouched down next to the large rectangular box. 

“Why don’t you open it.” Minnie smiled, also getting off her bed to turn the lights on. 

Ripping the cardboard box opened, she was met with the sight of the most beautiful keyboard she’d ever seen. Sure it was a bit bulky and thick but to Miyeon, it was perfect. It must’ve cost a fortune, the one Miyeon had wasn’t that great but she remembered cringing at the receipt after her grandmother bought it for her. 

“Jesus Christ!” She screamed, getting to her feet. “Is this a Kawai MP11SE?” Miyeon had been wanting this goliath of a keyboard for a long time, she was even saving up for the expensive instrument. 

“Yeah, do you like it?” Minnie hugged her from behind, resting her chin on her shoulder.

“Yes! But this must’ve cost too much, Minnie I can’t take this.”

“Why not?”

“Because this is a $1,000 piano.”

“$2,000 actually,” Minnie needed to learn how to keep her mouth shut, she was trying to convince Miyeon that she needed this and wasn’t doing a very good job. 

“$2,000! What!” 

“Haha, calm down Myeon.” She was infatuated with how cute drunk Miyeon was. “You deserve it.” 

“You rich people,” She pretend pouted when Minnie spun her around to face her.

“Happy birthday,” She kissed her forehead and let Miyeon lean into her.

“Minnie,” 

“Hm?”

“I think I’m drunk.” She said as a very ‘matter of factly’. 

“I know, pabo.” She laughed, maybe she was enjoying this side of Miyeon too much. She flipped off the lights and steered them back to her bed, letting Miyeon’s headrest on her outstretched arm. “Goodnight, Cho Miyeon.”

“Goodnight, Minnie.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Love hearing from you guys, don't be shy to suggest things you'd like to see in the story, I might just put it in [My Curious Cat](https://curiouscat.me/AKUMA_jpg)
> 
> Love my mutuals :) feel free to follow me here [My Twitter](https://twitter.com/akuma__jpg) I occasionally post story updates and replies.


	14. "Deep Inside My Heart"

Damn, the power of love had to be damn strong in order for Miyeon to get out of bed at this hour and stand in a line during the freezing first snow of Korea. She imagined spending the first snow in Minnie’s arms, sharing their time together. In Korea, the first snow was an important part for couples, if you were with your significant other during the first snow it was a sign of good luck and young love. But no. She was standing in a line with a bunch of other miserable people waiting for the store doors to open. 

Miyeon was trying to get some new album that was released by Minnie’s favorite band. She couldn’t afford much but she knew Minnie had been waiting for its release for a long time and was upset when she missed preorders. 

“Cho Miyeon?” She hears someone call behind her, it was Jinhyung, a new boy from her math class. He was always friendly with her, the two sharing notes and comparing answers in order to succeed in the advanced placement class. 

“Jinhyung?” She was met with his ever charming smile and kind aura. 

“What’re you doing here? Waiting for the release?”

“Yeah, I guess.” She liked talking to new people, it made her feel complete like she finally filled in the missing piece to the puzzle that was her personality. 

“I didn’t know you liked RADWIMPS?” He moved closer to her, they were both at the end of the very long line. 

“Uhh, not really. I’m buying a present.” She smiled. 

“Oh, I guess it’s about time people buy Christmas stuff. Wouldn’t know since they advertise all this holiday crap mid-November, aha.” It was so cold when he talked he created little clouds when he spoke. “Wanna listen to some of their songs?” He offered her one of his earbuds. 

“Sure.” What else was she going to do? The line was stagnant and it was cold, she needed something to distract her from her frozen figures. 

There was something about Jinyhung that was different from all the other boys. He wasn’t rude or brash, he never teased her and was always kind and patient. When he first approached her asking if he could sit next to her in a timid manner, it caught her off guard. No boy ever asked her if it was okay to do something before they did it, they always just did as they pleased, not caring about what she thought. Their blossoming friendship taught her that talking to new people was fun, she got to meet nice people and have engaging conversations. 

After like 3 hours, they were finally let into the store. Her grandma gave her copious amounts of money, she made it clear that she really liked her girlfriend. Standing in yet another line she thought, _ “Might as well buy all three editions since I’m not coming back.” _ Her arms loaded in all three different versions of the same album. 

Jinhyung was saving her a spot in line near the register as she tried to quickly grab copies for both of them. A strategically mapped out plan provided by none other than herself. Quickly grabbing their purchases and meeting him in line, he grinned down at her from his towering height. If she was into guys Jinhyung would be her dream, he was tall and handsome, always kind, and interested in what she was saying. But she wasn’t, thank god.  _ He’s a good friend _ . She thought to herself as they exit the store together. 

“Uhhh, do you need a ride?” He nervously rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t want you walking home in the cold. Call it payback for saving me from boredom in line.”

“Aha, thank you.” She followed him back to his parked white Corvette. 

She gave him the directions to her place, they were only a couple of minutes away, and with him speeding it down the city roads, they were there in half the time. From the corner of her eye, she saw what looked like Minnie’s Mercedes parked out front. Excitedly hopping out of the car and bidding Jinhyung goodbye, she walked over to the expensive dark grey car. 

“Minnie?” Her girlfriend was scowling at the leaving Corvette. 

“Was that Jinhyung?” Minnie hated him. 

It was so obvious he was trying to make moves on Miyeon but the pianist didn’t have many friends outside of their group so she kept her mouth shut, wanting Miyeon to keep socializing. She nearly lost it when Miyeon had to reschedule their lunch date to study with him one time, something about getting ready for exams or some other bullshit. Hell, they even got into a small fight over it. 

_ “Minnie, some people have to study before they take tests.”  _ Miyeon had told her with the most patience in her voice. 

Minnie never studied, she just paid attention in class and hoped that was enough.  _ “But why can’t you study later?” _ She knew she was being a brat but she wasn’t about to lose to Jeong Jinhyung, never in a million years. 

_ “Just this one time, he’s struggling with a couple of problems and I need to brush up before the final exam.” _ Miyeon tried reasoning with her grumpy girlfriend. It’s not like Minnie didn’t trust Miyeon, she knew she’d never cheat on her. It’s Jinhyung that she didn’t trust, he was new to CUBE so she didn’t know what to expect from the boy, only that he made heart eyes at Miyeon when she wasn’t looking. 

She asked for advice from Soojin, if anyone knew how to handle situations like this it was Soojin. God only knows how many times that girl had to fight off crowds of people just to get them to leave her girlfriend alone. 

_ “You have to be possessive sometimes.” _ Soojin was being completely serious.  _ “If you don’t show them you love them then they’ll eventually get tired and leave.” _

She has been teasing Miyeon a lot lately, Soojin shared that when she used to give Shuhua the cold shoulder they were on the brink of a breakup and she had to get her shit together.

_ “Girls are more… sensitive than guys. You have to reassure them more often, its a process.” _ Soojin had this down to a science, after 3 years of being in a happy, successful relationship, she picked up a few things. 

And as much as she was trying to follow Soojin’s advice, she was so close to snapping. She got out of her car and pulled Miyeon closer to her by the waist, planting a kiss on her lips. The scarlet blush that coated her girlfriend’s cheeks wasn’t hard to miss, she knew Miyeon loved her, she was just a bit shy when it came to PDA. 

“What did you buy?” She changed the subject on a lighter note, looking down at the paper bag she was holding. 

“A-a gift for my grandma,”  _ Smooth Miyeon. _ She thought to herself. 

“Hmmm, can I come up?” She was still holding her by the waist, leaning back against her car.

“Sure, wanna watch a movie.” 

“Yeah,” Minnie was back to her carefree mood. 

The rest of the night entailed them sitting on Miyeon’s couch, watching some cheesy Christmas flick. She hid Minnie’s presents in a drawer to be wrapped at a later date, right now she was cuddled up against Minnie, who put them under a big warm blanket.

___

Soojin really should’ve set an alarm, she wouldn’t be hustling out of bed in such a hurried state if she had. Bouncing around the four walls of her enclosed room, she frantically tried to get dressed. Shuhua invited her to her parent’s winter brunch, it was a big deal considering they were Taiwanese royalty. No one was in Soojin’s house so she didn’t need to bother about waking anyone up when she fell over loudly trying to get into her pants. 

_ Ow. No… Maybe I should wear that dress mom got me… _ She shucked off her dress pants and dug back into her big closet. She really should’ve figured this out the night before because if she spent any longer, she was going to be late. Finally deciding on the simple black dress her mom sent her a couple of days ago for this exact event, she moved on to searching for her phone. 

Her large empty room was shaded gray and white, huge lull length windows on the adjacent wall let the winter grey peek through. Soojin hated her house, it was so big and empty. A constant reminder of her parents that weren’t there, always away at work. She hated the stupid expensive modern furniture that adorned the wide spaces, no one sat on them. She much preferred to spend her time with Shuhua or Soyeon. She hated being alone. 

Slipping on her long thick Burberry overcoat, she grabbed the keys to her pitch-black Aston Martin and headed out the door. 

Soojin was definitely rich, there was no doubt about that. Her parents lived in a fancy high rise penthouse in the most expensive building in Seoul, across the street from Soyeon’s mom’s high-end hotel. But everything came with a price, they were always working. Her parents were the top surgeons in Korean, both running respective hospitals, they never made enough time for their growing daughter. 

And although she was used to wealth, Shuhua’s never ceased to surprise her. Shuhua was  _ rich rich _ , meaning she had houses all over the world and her family-owned global assets. When she first met her girlfriend’s parents, she was surprised to see meet her dad. Yeh Mark was the most down to earth, genuine guy (she knew where Shuhua got it from) and her mom was just the same. They must’ve been Buddhist monks in their past lives, she thought when attending one of their many charity events in the past. 

She didn’t have anything to be nervous about, the press was going to be there but that didn’t scare her. Yuqi and Soyeon were attending as well, Yuqi’s dad being a big business partner to the Yeh empire and Soyeon coming as a plus one. 

Daniel Nicha Yontararak added to the trio of the Song-Yeh merger, being a wealthy donator of sorts, meaning Minnie and Miyeon would also be coming. She liked Miyeon, she was the only one in their group who didn’t come from a well-off family but she shined either way. Miyeon was naturally affectionate and sweet, always ready to listen to her friend’s problems. 

Parking her car in the mansion courtyard, she pulls the sides of her jacket closer to her.  _ When did it get so cold? _

“Miss Seo,” A man dressed in a formal tuxedo bowed at her entrance, kindly taking her coat to the coatroom. 

“Seo Soojin?” She heard Minnie’s oldest brother, Mic spot her. “Haven’t seen you in ages!” He gave her a polite side hug, he was brandishing an alcoholic mimosa. “Want one?” He noticed her staring at the drink in his hand. 

Cringing in memory of that morning she woke up in her room, limbs tangled with her equally plastered girlfriend after Miyeon’s birthday, “No, thank you.” 

“Soojinnie?” Minnie was standing near the entrance to the opened hall, Miyeon on her arm wearing a beautiful emerald green dress with her hair flowing freely, save for the front that was pinned up with cute butterfly clips. “You’re here!”

“Shuhua’s been patiently waiting for you.” Miyeon put emphasis on the word patient, causing Minnie to snicker. If there was one thing Yeh Shuhua was not, it was patient. 

“Where is she?” Soojin tried not to seem too eager about seeing her girlfriend.

“Up in her room,” Minnie shot her a sly smiled before leading Miyeon to the lush living room. 

Slightly bowing her head for formality, she leaves the young couple. Climbing the spiral staircase two steps at a time was a struggle in heels, halfway through she just decided to take them off and hold the pair in her hands. No one was upstairs so she could scrap the polite people-pleaser facade she often wore at parties.

Knocking a few times on Shuhua’s door out of courtesy, she opened it after the third knock. Her girlfriend was sitting on her bed, laying on her stomach with her chin propped up in her hand, scrolling through her phone. 

“Shu?” She tried to get the bored girl’s attention.

“JinJin?!” Shuhua bounced to her feet and left a trail of kisses all over her face. “You’re late,” her expression changing within seconds of her remembering she was supposed to be angry right now, hands resting on her shoulders. 

“I know, I’m sorry.” Soojin discretely eyeing the lowcut dress Shuhua was wearing, one that was showing off her slim waist and long milky legs. “I-I forgot to set an alarm.”  _ Snap out of it Seo, you good for nothing gay. _ She scolded herself.  _ Well, she is my girlfriend. _ Her eyes began to wonder, _ one more glance never hurt anyone. _

“Ow,” Shuhua firmly grabbed her by the chin, pulling her face up so that they were making eye contact.

“My eyes are up here, Jin-ah.” She looked amused, Shuhua loved knowing she had the little Seo Soojin wrapped around her finger. 

“S-sorry,”  _ Damn, caught red-handed. Not very smooth Seo. _ “You look pretty toda-”

“Save it Soojin,” Shuhua cut her off, letting her hands travel from her shoulders to her waist. “We have to join the rest of the party downstairs.” She eased them towards the door.

“Hmph, I don’t want to go.” Soojin spun them in the opposite direction. “I just want to be with you.” She kissed the pale skin of Shuhua’s neck. 

“After,” The Taiwanese royalty warned. “And plus, you owe me.”

“For what?” Soojin pulled away, cupping her girlfriend’s plush cheeks.

“Being late,” she looked up at her. “Maybe we can go to your place after? Your parents aren’t going to be home, are they?”

“No, they never are.” She tried to not show emotion, Shuhua stood on her tippy toes and kissed her square on the forehead. 

“Then we can be together later, but for now there’s a party we need to be at.” Much to Soojin’s protests, Shuhua dragged them back downstairs to join the large crowd that her mother was entertaining. 

Soojin just stayed with her usual group of friends for the remainder of the morning, occasionally catching Shuhua bouncing around other diplomats having important conversations. It looked… exhausting, she really didn’t know how Shuhua could pretend to care about whatever these old men were saying in Mandarin.  _ She’s been doing it ever since she was young. _ Soojin remembered. The number of parties Shuhua had to attend didn’t even fit on her fingers.

But she waited like she was told. Eating some expensive caviar that was plated in front of her, listening to Minnie’s gripe about how she missed preorders for some album that was now sold out. When the clock finally hit 1 pm, hordes of rich people started filtering out of her mansion, and Shuhua grabbing her coat and Soojin’s arm. 

“Are you ready?” Shuhua pressed a kiss on her cheek, knowing that Soojin was dying to leave the entire time. 

“Yeah, let’s go.”

___

Miyeon was sitting at her desk, basically sweating about the practice math problems that laid in front of her. She and Jinhyung both agreed to study over the break so they’d be better prepared the second semester but she really didn’t have it in her to complete the problems. 

A modest-sized suitcase sitting by her door. Her group of friends decided to rent a couple of rooms at some fancy ski resort in  Gangwon-do and spend their Christmas there. Minnie was picking her up in a couple of minutes. 

“You’re doing homework?” The girl in question was leaning against her opened door frame.

“Yeah, me and Jinhyung decided to study over the break.”

“You’re no fun.” Minnie tried not to pout at the mention of Jinhyung, wrapping her arms around Miyeon’s shoulders and resting her chin on the top of her desk, peering down at the complicated equations. 

“Are we going now?” She ignored her girlfriend’s antics.

“Mhm, we should get going, Soojin and Shu are already there.” She grabbed Miyeon’s suitcase, rolling it down the hallway. 

“Have fun you two, stay safe.” Eunbin called after them, eyes focused on the tv intently. 

Minnie was seriously regretting giving Miyeon the aux cord to her car, for the girl was blasting “Kill This Love” and “Ice Cream” by BlackPink. But she was really cute, using the worn pencil Minnie kept in her cup holder as a microphone, showing off her vocal power. And she couldn’t help but burst out into laughter when Miyeon’s voice cracked when trying to hit a high note in some LOONA song. 

Miyeon was tugging on her arm, spitting out raps on “Whistle”, making Minnie realize that giving her the aux was the best thing she’s ever done. She was never going to forget this, the love of her life headbanging to “Boombayah”. 

After the 1 hour drive, they made it to the snow resort, Minnie checking them in and Miyeon went to go visit Shuhua and Yuqi at the cafe. 

“Do you even know how to ski?” Yuqi looked at Shuhua with a raised eyebrow. 

“Of course! I learned when I visited Germany a couple years ago.” Shuhua puffed her chest out proudly. 

“Really? I’ve never gone skiing before.” Miyeon looked down into her hot chocolate.

“Don’t worry, Soyeon can teach you.” Yuqi smiled warmly, not everyone was as financially capable to go skiing annually and she understood that. “She’s really good.” 

“Oh, you guys are here?” Soojin showed up at their table, Soyeon next to her texting someone. “Where’s Minnie?” 

“She’s checking in, she’ll be here soon.” Miyeon saw Minnie pop up after she said that, arm snaking around her waist. 

“Ready to hit the slopes?” Her girlfriend wiggled her eyebrows.

“...I guess,” 

Minnie didn’t know how she was going to survive, Miyeon looked so cute bundled up in her thick snow jacket and fluffy scarf. She was holding a pair of rented skis, looking lost at the entrance of the wide snowy expanse of the resort. 

“You’re going snowboarding?” Miyeon looked over her once, eyeing the board in her hand. 

“Yeah, I never learned how to ski. Always liked snowboarding better.” She suddenly felt shy. “Is Soyeon going to teach you?”

“Yes! We’re going down the bunny slopes first.” Miyeon shot her an eye smile that warmed her entire existence. 

Jump to her speeding it down the black diamond hills and overhearing Soyeon say to Miyeon, “Okay so french fry…. And then pizza.” Seeing a wobbly Miyeon try to navigate through the snow with her ski clad feet.

By the end of the day, Miyeon was able to make it down an intermediate hill without falling just… really slowly. Minnie’s cheeks were rosy from the harsh bite of the late December cold, her lungs burning from the thin air and how fast she was going down the hills. 

She had no idea where her other three friends were until she and Yuqi were paired together on the ski lift, “I saw Soojin and Shuhua go back to the hotel, they’re probably in their room.” 

“Aish, those two…” Minnie rolled her eyes.

“I know,” Yuqi laughed boisterously. 

It was pitch black outside, save for the fluorescent lights shining overhead, giving everything an ethereal white glow. She collapsed at the foot of the last slope, letting the plush snow brush against her hot skin. Hearing the crunch of snow approach her head, she opened her eyes. 

“I thought you were dead,” Soyeon laughed. 

“Might as well be after that,” She was referring to the double black diamond she just completed. 

“Minnie! I did it! Did you see? I skied all by myself, without Soyeon’s help!” Miyeon collapsed next to her, cheeks vermillion and hair had a couple of small specks of snow on it. 

“Yeah, you did so well.” She chided, transferring her neon orange beanie onto Miyeon’s head in an attempt to warm the shivering girl. 

Yuqi also slid over on her skis, bumping shoulders with Soyeon, “I’m starving, should we get something to eat?” 

“Yeah, Shu and Soojin are already at the restaurant waiting.” 

Hand in hand, they waddle over to the warm atmosphere of the welcoming restaurant. Their table filled with bowls and plates alike, hearty laughter sounding the air. In Minnie’s head, this was the perfect way to spend her Christmas Eve. It was her first time spending the holidays with someone that wasn’t her family and Soojin’s 17th time. 

After finishing they’re dinner, they all decided to watch a movie in Shuhua’s and Soojin’s massive suite. Microwaving some instant popcorn Miyeon packed and squishing together on the couch. Only when the movie was over did things get… chaotic. 

Like a very Song Yuqi thing to do, she suggested they play “never have I ever”. And, of course, it had to involve alcohol which Soojin provided, 10 bottles of soju stashed in her bag along with a 6 pack of Japanese beer. 

“Hmm…” Soyeon pondered before asking the first question. “Never have I ever made out at school.” 

What kind of question was that? They all took a shot, Minnie feeling the liquid burn down her throat. Shuhua and Soojin probably snuck off to make out at least once a school day, twice sometimes. 

“My turn!” Yuqi was already redfaced.  _ Here we go… _ Minnie thought to herself. “Never have I ever been caught coming home drunk.” 

Minnie, Yuqi, and Soojin took drinks. She was familiar with Yuqi’s story, the girl was invited so Lucas Wong’s end of year party and got completely shit faced. Her dad caught her trying to sneak in through the window when she could’ve very easily just entered through the front door. Soojin got caught drinking by herself, it was her birthday and she and Shuhua were in the middle of a rough patch. Her parents chose the worst time to come home, finding their daughter drunkenly crying over how she needed to treat her girlfriend better. 

“Minmin, it’s your turn!” Shuhua was having fun now. 

“Okay, umm.” She was trying to think of a good one. “Never have it ever… uhhh, I don’t know, failed a test.” They all collectively groaned, downing another shot of the firey booze. 

Now they were 20 rounds deep, 4 empty bottles of soju and 2 empty beer cans littered the hotel coffee table.

“I know!” Shuhua burped, partially leaning on Soojin. “Never have I ever done  _ it  _ with someone.” It really wasn’t as spicy of a question as she thought it would be since she, Soojin, Soyeon, and Yuqi all grimaced, taking another drink. 

The only people that didn’t were Minnie and Miyeon. Minnie was half paying attention, seemingly hammered from the sheer mass of alcohol she had consumed over the past hour and Miyeon was blushing wildly. Minnie was her first everything, her first girlfriend, her first kiss, and she only hoped she was her last. 

“Really?” Shuhua gasped in disbelief. “You two?”

“Shu, stop it.” Soojin warned, she was used to drinking this much alcohol, it was basically just a warm up for her.

“Well, I’m callin it a night,” Soyeon stood up with a grunt, pulling Yuqi up with her. “Night.”

Miyeon was still flustered and Minnie was near dozing off, “We should probably get going too, night.” They left to go to their room. 

With a tight grip around her girlfriend’s shoulder, Miyeon lead her down their hallway with wobbly steps. Fishing the keycard out of her small bag and shoving it in front of the fancy sensor on their door. Staring at the darkroom, she softly threw Minnie onto the mattress, looking around and realizing that there was only  _ one _ bed. 

“What?” Minnie questioned her girlfriend’s hesitant stance. 

“There’s only one bed.” Her voice was quiet and meek.

“Miyeon, we’re dating.” Minnie laughed, getting up and throwing Miyeon onto the bed with her, arms wrapped around her midsection. “Miyeonnie?”

“Yes?” She hoped she couldn’t feel how rapidly her heart was beating. 

“I think I’m drunk.” 

“Ahah, get some sleep pabo.” She kissed her on the forehead and nuzzled her head further into Minnie’s body. 

“Okay, goodnight.” She breathed out against the crown of Miyeon’s head, feeling warm despite not having pulled the covers over them. But it was fine, all she needed was Miyeon. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Miyeon’s a blink and an orbit. What about it? Girl’s got taste ;) 
> 
> This chapter was suggested by one of my twt mutuals <3 love hearing from you guys it makes writing more fun. [My Curious Cat](https://curiouscat.me/AKUMA_jpg)
> 
> Follow me on twt B) [My Twitter](https://twitter.com/akuma__jpg)


	15. "Lost My Way"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a complete fever dream... But nonetheless, it's here. idk when the next updates gonna be, I've kinda hit a block with this story :/

The rest of their winter break was spent together indoors. Minnie cried when Miyeon gave her her Christmas present the next day at the resort and of course, when she got home there was top tier recording equipment waiting in her room as a gift from Minnie. 

A bit sad that her break was over so soon, she still approached the 2nd term of her last year with ambition. She had a lot more free time since the orchestra wasn’t preforming anymore and decided to put all her focus on her school work. 

A new year meant a new Miyeon, she made it her resolution to talk to more people and make more friends in her classes. But as soon as she set foot back in her homeroom, all her confidence withered away. Seniors sitting at their desks, laughing with their already established friends, she decided to just sit down and give up. 

“Miyeon!” Jinhyung waved at her, taking a seat at the desk situated right next to hers. 

Maybe one new friend was enough. She didn’t want to bite off more than she could chew, socially speaking, and was satisfied with the bond she shared with Jinhyung. But Minnie hated him, she never blatantly said it out loud but Miyeon could tell, she didn’t know why but she could tell. How could anyone hate Jinhyung though? He was nice, friendly, athletic, and overall cared about Miyeon’s wellbeing. 

Still, the visual frown on Minnie’s face whenever she so much as mentioned him was unsettling.  _ Why can’t she just be happy for me? I’m trying. Isn’t that what she wanted? _ It was almost frustrating, how childish Minnie got whenever she had to raincheck in their lunches to study in the library with the boy. 

_ “But you’re always studying,” _ Minnie’s whines weren’t foreign to her at this point, in fact, they were very familiar. 

_ “Minnie, I’m taking hard classes.” _ Her voice had a tint of annoyance in it, clingy Minnie was really getting on her nerves.

And it’s not like they didn’t spend time together, quite the opposite actually. They hung out every weekend and most days after school, the least she could’ve done was give Miyeon some breathing room. 

But the worst was when Minnie gave her the silent treatment. One time she forgot they were supposed to meet at a cafe on Saturday since she was catching up on some project work for chemistry and Minnie didn’t talk to her for a solid day. 

As of right now (as far as she knew) they were on good terms, there were no angry outbursts, no subtle hints of jealousy, Minnie seemed to be acting normal. That is until she saw some volleyball girl, Kim Jungeun, offer to help her carry her books and walk her to class. Or when some boy from her 1st period, Baek Zuho, asked if she wanted to get coffee sometime after school. 

The worries of putting herself out there wasn’t really a problem, considering people were flashing her smiles left and right. She guessed that once she started getting over her social anxiety people started seeing her in a different light.

“Got any plans for lunch?” She and Jinhyung were spending their free period in the library, prepping for whatever pop quiz their teacher was going to give them.

“Hmm?” Miyeon looked up from her book to see her friend nervously fiddling with his notebook paper and twirling his pencil in between his fingers. “Nothing much, just going to eat with Minnie.” 

“Oh, okay.” He looked kind of… dejected? She couldn’t really decipher his emotions since he was the human embodiment of a golden retriever, immediately changing the subject and going back to his notes. 

The soft bell ringing made her get out of her seat. Straightening out her skirt and walking out of the quiet space, she’s met with her girlfriend leaning against the wall across from the doorway. 

“You ready?” Minnie linked their arms, pulling her along the hallway, granting glances from the people they were passing. 

She used to worried that all the girls that had a crush on Minnie would hate her but that didn’t seem to be the case when in fact, half the school was whipped for Miyeon. She was like a silent sleeper, laying low for a majority of her high school life, then BAM, the beautiful Cho Miyeon appeared and swept everyone off their feet. 

Who wouldn’t be? Miyeon was sweet and kind, smart and caring, perfect girlfriend material. And Minnie hated it, she wanted Miyeon all to herself, she wasn’t ready in the slightest to share. Pulling her girlfriend closer to her when she saw Yuta, a boy from the soccer team, eye Miyeon’s long legs, sending him an ugly look that made his face turn blue. 

The entire time during lunch, Minnie didn’t let up, draping an arm over Miyeon’s shoulders, showing everyone  _ “Yeah, she’s mine. Back off.” _ . Shuhua seemed to notice Minnie’s apparent predicament, sending her a weary look, where Soojin gave her a proud one. 

In her profound opinion, Miyeon had been handling Minnie’s mood swings fairly well, that was until Sunday came… Minnie had texted her the night before, asking if she wanted to come over at watch a movie (she had other things in mind as well, no one would be home in her massive mansion) but Miyeon didn’t reply until the next day.

Sue her okay, she spent her Saturday night absorbed in her music. It had been a while since she last sat down and played, juggling her massive school workload and social life didn’t leave her much time to play these days. So, of course, she didn’t see the message Minnie sent her. Heavily regretting not checking her phone last night, Miyeon’s getting interrogated over a call by her girlfriend.

“Why didn’t you answer last night?” She could picture Minnie’s frown.

“I’m sorry, I was busy.” Not willing to elaborate.

“Busy with what? Were you with Jinhyung?”

“No, Minnie, I was just busy.” Accidentally letting the annoyance seep through her voice on that one.

“Why are you the one getting upset?  _ You  _ ignored  _ me  _ last night.” Miyeon didn’t like how accusatory that sounded. 

“Listen, I was playing music all yesterday and didn’t happen to check my messages, okay?” Hoping that would appease Minnie’s jealous side. 

“I bet if Jinhyung texted you, you would’ve answered.” She heard her mutter.

“What?” 

“It seems like all you want to do is hang out with  _ him _ .” 

“Oh my god, are you still upset about that? He’s my  _ friend. _ I told you we were studying.”

“I bet he wanted to do something else.”

“Are you serious? We’re friends, Minnie, get over it.”

“Have you seen the way he looks at you?” She started yelling through the call. 

“I can’t  _ believe  _ you.” She was getting really tired of all this. “Am I not allowed to have friends of my own?”

“Not ones that try to steal you from me.” Minnie’s voice firm and unchanging.

“I’m not an object, I’m not some prize people fight over, Minnie.” She returned, albeit at her wit’s end. “I’m my own person, I’m allowed to do whatever I want! I don’t have to have you approve every single one of my friends!” She hung up and threw her phone on her bed, screaming into her pillow. 

How could Minnie be so sweet some times and so infuriating others? 

___

One the other end of the abruptly cut call, Minnie’s expression dropped.  _ Oh no. _ She pissed Miyeon off,  _ bad _ . Miyeon never yelled, she was always calm and collected, even when Minnie was being an ass. Outwardly groaning, she really just made everything worse, didn’t she? 

Why couldn’t she just keep it to herself? Why did she have to make such a big deal out of this? Miyeon just made her so crazy sometimes, she loved her with every fiber of her being and was semi afraid of losing her. 

It was only fitting that she call Soojin, “Soo, I kinda fucked up…” 

“What now…” 

Minnie remembers Soojin going through a similar phase when she and Shuhua had only been dating for a year. It all started when Shuhua made a new friend, Kang Hyewon, and Soojin felt tossed aside. In reality, she was just being a big baby (Hyewon already had a girlfriend of her own, Kwon Eunbi) but from her perspective, it was the world’s worst tragedy. Shuhua and Hyewon had almost all their classes together that year and Soojin spent a majority of that year sulking. Which only resulted in her pushing Shuhua away from her, spending her birthday that year alone and wasted. 

“Why would you do that?” Soojin also groaned.

“I don’t know! You told me to be more possessive!” Minnie threw her hands up, they had decided to meet up at her place, Soojin’s forever empty penthouse. 

“You’re an idiot Kim Minnie,” Her friends had a habit of calling her by the surname “Kim” because her real last name was much too difficult to pronounce. 

“I know! You don’t need to remind me! How do I fix this?”

“You have to apologize, pabo.” Soojin flicked her on the forehead, leaning back in her chair and sipping on a martini. 

“She sounded so angry,” Minnie slumped down on the older’s stiff couch, probably the only person to ever sit on it. 

“Well no shit, you’re stupid.” 

“And you’re not helping,” She griped. 

“At least you’re over yourself,” Soojin refilled her drink.

“No, I’m not. The next time I catch Jinhyung staring at her butt I’m punching him straight in the face.”

“One word of advice,” The girl with the beauty mark threw her head back, dowing the rest of her alcohol. “Being with someone you love makes you blind, and I definitely know that, try to focus her, not the people around her.” 

The next day she bought $50 worth of flowers and stuffed alligator. Minnie waited by Miyeon’s locker only to be met an icy glare. She said nothing, diverting her eyes anywhere but Minnie, trying to quickly grab her books and leave. But lucky for Minnie she blocked her exit, sparing her the awkward smile. 

“Hi,” Miyeon did not look in the mood to be talking to her. “I’m sorry, I was-- am an ass.” Pausing in between in an attempt to read her girlfriend’s stone-like face.

“I have no right to tell you who to be friends with and I’ll try to be more accommodating in the future.” She held out her gifts. 

Miyeon waited a couple of seconds before giving in. Thinking something along the lines of  _ “Damn you Kim Minnie for being so cute!” _ but her mind went blank when Minnie leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek, sealing the deal.

“Thank you, Miyeonnie.” She said softly before leaving for her 1st class. 

_ You’re going to be the death of me. _ She thinks, hugging the stuffed reptilian closer to her.

___

She was doing well, no mishaps, no slip-ups. Every time she wanted to bash someone’s head in for remotely looking at Miyeon, Minnie swallowed her pride and took it. She didn’t mind all the suitors that left notes in Miyeon’s locker, or when they confessed to her at lunch, she preferred to pretend they didn’t exist. 

Because it was all worth it, moments where Eunbin would invite her over for dinner and she and Miyeon would take long walks through the park at night on a late-night scavenge for convenience store ice cream. Swinging their interlocked hands, strolling through the dim-lit sidewalks of sleeping Seoul. 

And sometimes she’d lean over and kiss her on the cheek, lips, or the top of her head, just because. Just because she loved her girlfriend so much. Ever since Miyeon, the gaping empty hole inside her and the fear that she’d be uselessly drifting through the universe was gone, all because this girl at her side made her feel so completely warm and in love. 

She wasn’t hungry, filled up on Eunbin’s kimchi pancakes but Miyeon wanted some strawberry milk bar so they set off on a small walk to the store that was near her house. Basking in the late January breeze, Miyeon pulled her closer. 

“What?” Minnie couldn’t tell if her cheeks were red because she was cold or because she was blushing, probably both. 

“Nothing,” She looked away, giggling a bit. It reminded her of when they first met when Miyeon was still really shy. Now she was a bit bolder, even teasing her back sometimes. 

They entered the empty convenience store, the dull door alarm announced their entrance. Miyeon never really ate junk food or snacks but the one time she and Minnie were at a gas station she tried some ice cream bar and was obsessed. 

“I’ll be quick,” Her tongue peeking out of her mouth a little in concentration, Miyeon’s eyes carefully scanning the frozen goods section. 

“Take your time,” She was already flipping through some magazines near the entrance. But then she saw it.

A tall lean man with a recognizable face caught her eye, it was Taemin. What were the odds? He was wearing a simple white shirt and a pair of grey sweats, buying a pack of cigarettes. Now when Miyeon told her about the whole emancipation business and she was halfway ready to drive to his house and punch him in his perfect face. 

“M-Minnie?” He saw her leaning against the counter, turning his head, looking for Miyeon. “...Miyeon,” 

Her girlfriend looked shell shocked, like she had forgotten he existed. Almost letting the strawberry popsicle slip out of her hands before she did a double-take. 

“Dad?”  _ He’s not your dad anymore. _ She inwardly scolded her herself. “Aa, uhh- Taemin.” She readdressed him.

“Hi,” He started sweating.

_ You’ll be sweating a lot when you end up in hell. _ Minnie thought to herself, arms crossed defensively. 

“What are you doing here?” He tried to break the ice.

“I live near.” Honestly, it would’ve been better if he had just disregarded her, it would’ve hurt less, seeing him fiddle with his wedding ring. 

“Oh,” Minnie would’ve thought this was really awkward if she wasn’t steaming with anger, she just glared at his stupid face as he tried to formulate a proper sentence. “I’m sorry I--”

“Don’t,” Miyeon cut in front of him, pulling out her wallet and paying for her ice cream. 

_ Self-control, self-control, self-control. _ Minnie repeated to herself, the nights before Miyeon signed those papers were spent crying and she knew that. She had to watch her girlfriend deal with that pain all by herself. She was not about to punch Miyeon’s ex-dad in the middle of a 7-Eleven at 10 pm on a Friday. 

“Come on Miyeon, don’t be like that,” He insisted. 

_ Huh? _ Now Minnie was confused. Didn’t he coerce  _ her  _ into being erased from his life, why did he look so remorseful?

Miyeon snatched her newly bought snack, beelining towards the exit when he grabbed her by the wrist, making her freeze upon contact. Minnie wasn’t a genius but she could tell how overwhelmed Miyeon looked, the tears welling up in her eyes. Ripping his grip off Miyeon, Minnie separated them. 

This was the perfect time to let her fists fly but the light hand on her shoulder from behind stopped her, Miyeon looked so scared.

“I-I heard you visited your mom recently…” Taemin tried to break the hostility, only for Miyeon to slap him across the face, letting it echo through the deserted store.

Now it was Minnie’s turn to be shocked. Miyeon was such a pacifist, never wanting to even think about violence. But here she was, slapping the source of all her misery. 

“M-Miyeon,” Taemin gasped, clutching his reddened cheek.

“Don’t talk about my mom,” She expressed. “You have no idea the massive shit storm I’ve lived, you don’t deserve to know.” Miyeon spun around, pulling Minnie out the door with her leading the two to sprint all the way home. 

Bent over, trying to catch her breath, she hadn’t had a thrill like that since Soojin got so shitfaced at Yuqi’s sweet 16th and drove a golf cart into her pool. Smiling wildly, she looked over to Miyeon who also seemed to be tried from their brief sprint. 

“Wow,” She raised her hand to give the other girl a high five but endless tears started rolling down her girlfriend’s cheeks. “Miyeonnie?”

“I hate him,” her voice came out in a wet whisper. “Why can’t he just leave me alone. Why does he keep coming back.” She was gripping the sleeves of her sweater so tight Minnie thought they were going to rip. 

Immediately hugging the sobbing girl, Minnie learned it was just best to hold her through it. Miyeon was strong now but there were somethings that still got to her. She wanted nothing more than to protect her.

_ Jeon Taemin you bastard, what are you playing at? _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yell at me on [My Curious Cat](https://curiouscat.me/AKUMA_jpg)
> 
> mutuals and nevies always welcomed <3 [My Twitter](https://twitter.com/akuma__jpg)


	16. "That's How It Collapses"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ummmm... I kinda wrote this in like the span of 2 days... so... yeah. My brain is going to explode from all the work my teachers have been giving me and all ontop of school and club sports, expect for updates to be... sparse. 
> 
> Also, this is a Taemin (Miyeon's dad) background chapter bc you all want to literally murder him

Lee Taemin was born rich and handsome. His father was a wealthy politician, carrying the family honorably with his older brother following closely behind. Taemin was always the black sheep in his household, for starters, his dad never wanted two sons, he wanted a son and a daughter. 

Being rich wasn’t all silver spoons and playing tea party, the Lee boys were expected to carry on the family legacy, having been born into generations upon generations of diplomatic status, they were educated throughout their childhood. His brother, Minho the eldest, was his father’s shining hope, the Lee family golden child. 

From birth their parents always compared them, unknowingly, they started competing against each other in everything. Who could get the highest test score, who could score the most goals, who was the better student? Minho always won. It made Taemin so angry, starving for his father’s love, he never received it. 

It was always  _ “Minho this”, “Minho that” _ . It peeved him to the point where during his high school years, Taemin spun out of control. 

The judging comparison that was constantly made about him and his brother drove him mad.  _ They must hate me. They wanted a daughter, not a dead beat son. Why can’t I do anything right? _

He used to sulk over his unbeatable brother, but it wasn’t Minho’s fault. Minho was just exceptional on his own, minding his business. His brother showed him nothing but respect. Minho was naturally introverted, he didn’t really talk to anyone. And the only thing he ever beat him at was music. Taemin would stay up for hours practicing piano, just so he could be better than his brother, so much that he didn’t even know if he enjoyed playing. 

_ “Music is not a real career.”  _

_ “You need to get higher marks on your tests, Taemin.” _

_ “Stop messing around in class and maybe you’ll score a fraction of what your brother can do.” _

_ “I wanted a daughter, not a son.” _

Poison words driving him insane, he stopped paying attention in class, he started fooling around with girls and hanging out with his friends.  _ Why even try? I can’t beat him. _ Soon enough, he found himself doing things just in spite of his dad. He started smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol, and partying late with his buddies.

Through most of high school, Taemin was the resident bad boy. Hard on the outside and crazier on the inside, he deflected any attempt of his relatives shaming him with snarky remarks and equal insults. 

_ “You’ll never bring honor to us. Is that what you want?” _

_ “I wish you were more like Minho.” _

_ “Why can’t you just be better?” _

He was so angry, at everything. Why did God put him on this planet? Just to make him forever live in his brother’s shadow. He couldn’t handle it, some days it was bearable, and others he would be so enraged he’d smash things. That was until he met Cho Seungyeon. 

Seungyeon was a weird girl, pretty, but weird. She was cute and clumsy, always joking around with her friends, just to make them smile. The first time Taemin met Seungyeon, he was smoking in an abandoned classroom. Seungyeon was looking for the dance club’s meeting room and stumbled across the rich boy sobbing. 

_ “You shouldn’t be smoking in here…” _ She didn’t really know how to comfort someone who was crying. 

_ “Just leave me alone.” _

_ “Eat this instead,” _ She was holding out a small orange lollipop.  _ “Isn’t this supposed to help with oral fixation? That’s what my mom says.” _

_ “Who are you?” _ Scowling at this girl’s weird interaction. People weren’t supposed to be kind to him, they were supposed to push him away, call him horrible names, compare him to his perfect brother. 

_ “Does it matter?” _

_ “I guess not.”  _ And with that, she left. Leaving him more curious than ever. 

Seungyeon was nice, she had that type of 4D personality Taemin had never seen before. She looked like she held the entire galaxy in her eyes, her mind was so imaginative and optimistic, her talking to him alone was enough to boost his serotonin. 

They spent many late nights perched on the bleachers overlooking the dark, unlit, football field. Seungyeon was the only person that never brought up Minho when they were around each other. She never asked him about his grades, if he did his homework, or what he wanted to do in the future. It was refreshing, to say the least, someone who understood how stressful it was to live in high society. Seungyeon made him forget about the expectations weighing heavily on his shoulders, he felt light. 

She seemed so strong, so well put together. Until he found her onetime sitting on the roof of the school, eyes red and sniffling in the winter cold. 

_ “What’s wrong?” _ Normally it was the other way around. Normally he’d be the one crying and Seungyeon would comfort him, telling him it would be okay. 

He knew she had family problems, like him but a bit different. She only had a mom, being raised alone. He understood why she was always laughing and smiling, to hide how lonely she was. Making people laugh with her jokes so they would come back to her because there was nothing scarier to her than being left alone. 

They spent the rest of the school day up on the roof, huddled closely together in order to fight off the abusive cold. And for once, Taemin was content with who he was because that was who Seungyeon loved. He wanted to be someone that made her smile, that made her feel whole and warm, for her he’d try. 

He still felt that even when she came to him, nervous about a positive pregnancy test. His parents yelled, they screamed, they had never been more scared in their entire lives. His father was a politician and if the news got a whiff of his son having a kid prematurely… He would never hear the end of it. 

_ “It’s not yours.” _ His father insisted, with a stone expression.

_ “It is.”  _

_ “It isn’t if I say it isn’t. How much money do they want?” _

_ “I’m not paying her to go away! It’s my kid too!” _

_ “No son of mine is claiming that child… Taemin, I’m warning you.” _

_ “Fuck off!” _ That was the last thing he had said to his dad, running away with Seungyeon the next day. 

It was hard, saying the way they were living was easy would be the biggest lie on the face of Korea. It was hard, Taemin had little to no knowledge about living alone, he always had a maid to do things for him, struggling to feed his small growing family. But when Miyeon was born, it felt like the clouds parted for them.

She was so cute and tiny, Taemin spent hours staring at her wide eyes and cute little nose. But she would cry every second away from her mom. One day, Seungyeon had a job interview, an opportunity she couldn’t miss, so Taemin had to watch little Miyeon. 

For the first hour, Miyeon just sat there, staring back at him, “Appa, jiluhan.” Jiluhan meant bored in Korean, Miyeon’s first word.

She then proceeded to cry for 30 minutes. Taemin was frantic, he didn’t know what to do, bouncing little Miyeonnie in his lap, taking a seat on the old piano bench that creaked when he sat down. Playing the simple melody to twinkle twinkle little star, she stopped crying.

Amazed at the weird sounds coming out of this mysterious wooden table, Miyeon watched her dad play, having no idea what a piano was. Taemin found the piano on the side of the street, some church was throwing it out and he dragged the thing all the way home. 

The little family continued to struggle, Miyeon providing them the only happiness in their demanding lives. Going from spending every night in her dad’s lap, watching him effortlessly play songs, she pressed on the keys endlessly whenever he was gone, trying to emulate his skill. 

Meanwhile, Taemin was scraping by, barely making minimum wage. He and Seungyeon fought nearly every night, the sorrow and regret in her eyes reminded him of all he had left behind without a second thought. 

Maybe it was God, or maybe it was just a mere coincidence but his dad appeared before him at the checkout of the convenience store he worked at.

“Taemin.” His dad looked sad, the eye bags under his eyes were deeper and darker.

“Dad?” Taemin didn’t look too hot himself, he was alarmingly thin and his hair was more grown out and tucked behind his ears. 

“I-I,” He reached out to him, Taemin stepped away from him. “I’d like to talk.” 

“My shift ends in an hour.” An unsettling flutter remained in his stomach. 

His mind thought of a thousand different things his father wanted to talk to him about. Thinking about different scenarios of his father insulting him while he bagged customer’s items. He hadn’t thought of his father since he left, ran away. Was he well? Was he still a politician? How was Minho, his mom? How was the Lee house holding up? All these things he wondered while ringing up several customers over the hour. Finally hanging up his uniform vest and clocking out, his dad took them to the cafe next door. 

“Are you going to order anything?” His father asked.

“No,” It’s not that he wasn’t thirsty, it was that half the items on the menu costed more than a whole month’s worth of pay. 

His dad ordered some expensive expresso, sitting in front of him. Time had not been kind to Mr.Lee, he looked smaller almost, like stress and irritation had shriveled him up. 

“Taemin-ah, Minho’s dead.” 

_ What? _ He sat there for a minute or two, utterly speechless of the news. Minho? Lee Minho? His brother, who shined so brightly but didn’t let it feed his ego. His brother who was doted on and favored by his parents since birth. His brother who had such a promising future ahead of him, one that would surely be greater than his father’s. Minho was dead.

“No.” He fought back in disbelief.

“He hung himself.”

“No, he can’t be.”

“With one of the ties we got him for his birthday.” His father sipped on his coffee out of distaste and remembrance. 

“.......”

“Taemin-ah, I’ll need you to do something for me.”

“What.” His eyes stung a bit, watering a bit at the memory of his elusive brother. 

“Your mother’s friend, her daughter’s husband died recently…” He took a pause, looking up at him with his empty eyes. It must’ve hurt him the most, Taemin thought. He loved Minho so much, he wanted such great things for Minho and all he had left was this degenerate high school dropout for a son. “We want you to meet with her.”

“You want me to marry her.” He said as a statement and not as a question. It was very clear what his father wanted of him. In Korea, it wasn’t uncommon for families to arrange the marriages of their children, anything in order to keep their status and money, even if it means sacrificing the happiness of their kids. 

“You’ll meet her on Friday, she works at Hotel Del Luna. Be there by noon.” 

“I have a life, a daughter, a girlfriend,” Taemin said, softly. Still afraid to speak up to his own father, despite being an adult now. 

“You will meet her on Friday.” He repeated slower this time, getting up and leaving Taemin alone in the cafe. He had to admit it, a trust fund sounded pretty good right now. He couldn’t remember the last time he had a full meal. 

His dad must’ve sought him out, after losing Minho, now he was his only son. Of course, he would only be approached when they needed something. They needed him to pretend like he was apart of the family, having one dead son and another runaway was not a good campaign look. 

Coming home later that night, mortified, Taemin had 4 days to decide. He shouldn’t even be deciding, right? He should stay with Seungyeon and his daughter, without a second thought. But coming home and seeing just how tired Seungyeon looked, it broke his heart. No one should have to live like this, live like how they’re living. Miyeon was so small for her age, he wanted to give her the world but it was just something he couldn’t afford. 

So for the next 4 days, he spent every second with Miyeon. Inside he was falling apart, he loathed himself. How could he leave this? But how could he escape his father’s wishes? He wanted so badly to take Miyeon with him, but how could he forget Seungyeon? He destroyed her life, truly. She offered him a shoulder to cry on, a friendly smile, and comfort, and what did he give her in return? A kid she wasn’t ready to have and poverty. 

Maybe things would be better if he just left, he and Seungyeon wouldn’t fight anymore, Miyeon could spend more time with her mom. He tried convincing himself, hypnotizing himself, that leaving was the right decision.

Every time he looked at Miyeon, he felt it. He felt the guilt deep in his core, the evil premating itself deep in his heart.  _ Why can’t I do anything right? _ He must’ve thought a thousand times before, in his youth and now, looking down at Miyeon’s small sleeping figure.

_ “Miyeon, my love, I’m sorry. I’m sorry you have to live like this.” _ He cried, for the first time in a long time. He left 2 days early, much rather wanting to sleep outside in the park than face the consequences. 

Jieun was nice. Much too nice for him. She didn’t care about where he came from, what he did in the past, she just wanted a husband, a father for her daughter. And that much he thought he could handle, regaining his family’s blessing and funds. 

He tried to distract himself from Miyeon and Seungyeon, playing music in the lobby of his wife’s hotel. He played so much he heard music even when he wasn’t playing. Jieun’s daughter Soyeon would stare at him with the same amazement that Miyeon once looked at him with. Still, he lived on. 

___

It took years of mental debating in his head to be able to reach out to Miyeon. For some reason, he couldn’t find Seungyeon’s contact. She must’ve completely cut herself off of him, which was completely warranted when he abandoned them. Finally, after 17 years he would see his little Miyeonnie.

“You look just like your mother.” He greets, holding out his hand. 

She shakes it, not really not knowing what to respond with. 

“So… how have you been?” He leans back slightly. 

“Good.”

“You’re in high school right?”

“Yes.” Her short responses didn’t deter him from carrying the conversation. 

“How’s your mom?” 

“She’s dead.” Miyeon returned, automatically. Feeling a sense of morbid deja vu wash over him, this situation oddly resembled the announcement of the passing of Minho. It felt like everyone around him was dying, he felt like he undirectly caused all of them.

“Oh… I’m sorry.” He was starting to squirm in his seat, guilt written on his face. “Have you ordered yet?”

“No.”

“What would you like, it’s on me.” He was back to his happy go lucky state.

Unlike what he thought their reunion would be like, Miyeon fled the scene when she saw his new family. He felt so sick inside, he felt like he had committed every heinous crime on the planet, he wanted to go up in flames.

_ Seungyeon was dead? _ He didn’t want to break down in the middle of the small low profile cafe, burying it deep. He caused this. What did he expect? Of course, Seungyeon was going to end it. The blaring alarms her high school behavior set off went over his head. He didn’t notice that Seungyeon was such a miserable soul, before the kid. Was he really that stupid? He must’ve been, in order to drop her and his kid all in the mentions money. 

In truth, Taemin didn’t know what to do, he was lost. He didn’t know how to properly make decisions for himself. When he ran away with Seungyeon, or when he fled off to marry Jieun, he never really felt like he had control. And certainly not when he excommunicated Miyeon, but Jieun thought it was a good decision for him and the family. 

He was so lost, he pushed Miyeon away, hurt her, and caused unimaginable pain to his daughter. The only thing that distracted him from his sins was the pounding symphony of the expensive orchestra house piano keys, his sweat dripping off his forehead and trickling onto his fingers. At the end of every performance, he left the stage and sobbed in the lead section dressing room. Shoving his tie in his mouth in an attempt to muffle his cries, his screams, he swallowed it all and went back out to bow in front of everyone watching him. 

This was not the life he imagined himself living, and to be quite honest, he didn’t see himself living a life at all. But here he was, born a mistake and living as one, and hey, maybe that’s how Miyeon felt too. Like father like daughter. 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys can ask questions or just share your thought on the story here [My Curious Cat](https://curiouscat.me/AKUMA_jpg)  
> Follow me on twt, I post updates and responses on there :) under #WWGINE [My Twitter](https://twitter.com/akuma__jpg)


	17. "I Wanna Look Pretty To Only You"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, here's fluff  
> Also if the titles don't make sense anymore just remember that I only used (G)I-DLE english translated lyrics as titles...

Opening her puffy eyes and staring at the blooming trees outside her window, a loud sneeze from behind startled her. Minnie’s allergies have been acting up as a sign that spring was starting. Watching her girlfriend turn over on her side, wrapping herself in a blanket burrito. This one of those rare times when Miyeon woke up earlier than Minnie. She had spent the entire night crying with Minnie by her side.

She felt bad like she was the emotional burden on Minnie’s shoulders. But Dr.Bae said she shouldn’t be apologetic for showing her feelings, she said it was natural for all humans to cry. Dr.Bae taught her a lot of things she didn’t know. Like that it was okay to tell people when you were hurt, that you didn’t need to keep in inside. Like that it was okay to feel bad about something and feel sad, only that you know how to deal with it after. From spending at least two days a week with her therapist, she now only went once a month. 

Progress. That’s what Dr.Bae liked to call it, but Miyeon didn’t really feel a big change. Sure, she felt a little more comfortable in her skin but all it took was one sentence from her dad and she was back to square one. 

She wished he would leave her alone. The irony in that desire, truly. She used to dream about her dad coming back, her family being complete again. Now she just wanted to rest, she was perfectly fine spending the rest of her days with Eunbin and Mochi. 

Speaking of Eunbin, her grandma hasn’t been home in days. She catches her sometimes coming home bringing her food or dropping by just to take a quick shower. Thing’s must’ve been really busy at the hospital, huh? Either way, Minnie stays over to keep her company, recently Miyeon shared how much she loathes being alone. And since then, Minnie’s been girlfriend of the year, staying over and spending time with her whenever her grandma isn’t around.

Quietly shuffling out of her room, she was going to try and attempt to make breakfast. Until now, Miyeon had the luxury of eating home-cooked meals every night. Her grandma’s cooking was unparalleled to anything she’d been served in a restaurant. Only recently did she realize how good she had it. Living on semi-healthy take-out now, the only things she could make that were moderately edible were spam and kimchi fried rice. Rummaging through her fridge, she tried looking for the groceries she and Minnie bought at the store yesterday.

“You’re up early,” Minnie yawned, embracing her from behind.

Blushing at the sudden contact and Minnie’s warmth, “Yeah, I thought I’d make us some breakfast before school since it’s still early.” 

Next week was approaching quickly, Minnie would be gone for the entirety of Spring break. Her girlfriend would be visiting her relatives in Thailand and Miyeon would be stuck in Korea. Inside, Miyeon was dreading it. She had irrational fears swimming in her mind late at night when Minnie would be sleeping soundly next to her. 

_ What if she doesn’t come back? What if she decides to stay there? What if she realizes she wants someone else? _ Although she and Dr.bae had been working on self-assurance, her separation anxiety was still very real. She felt the full effects of it when the two of them were eating at her small dining table. 

“What time does school start?” Minnie glanced at her expensive wristwatch.

“In like an hour,” Miyeon was picking at her food, she wasn’t really hungry.

“Hmmm, wanna skip?”

“I can’t,” she internally facepalmed. This would probably be the last moment they have alone since Minnie would be flying to Bangkok early tomorrow. “I have a test.” 

“Oh, we gotta get ready then.” She cleared both of their dishes, making moves back to her bedroom to change out of the pair of spare pajamas she kept at Miyeon’s house. 

School was the same. Her classes were crazy hard and she was drowning in homework. 

_ “Why’d you take so many hard classes?” _ Minnie had asked her, sitting on her bed scrolling through her phone while she stressed over her upcoming assignments.  _ “You’re already crazy smart, you’ll have no trouble getting into SNU.” _

_ “I need to be eligible for a scholarship,” _ She had replied dejectedly. It was no surprise, but Miyeon hated being financially dependent on her grandma. She felt so guilty whenever Eunbin would buy her something, like she was a leech, a parasite. Miyeon wanted to work hard for herself so her grandma didn’t have to worry. Sure, Eunbin made enough money for her to get into the college she wanted but she still wanted to help out, even in the slightest bit. 

The day went on, Minnie helping her carry her heavy textbooks until they have to split up and head to different classes. 

“You look tired,” Yuqi plopped down in the seat next to her, they shared the same English class.

“IjusthavesomuchworktodotodayandMinniewantedtoskipbutIcouldn’tbecauseIhavetositthroughtisstupidclass.” She let out in one long breath. It became a normal occurrence for her to vent to Yuqi, the Shanghai girl was really good at listening and sometimes would just let Miyeon talk about her problems. 

“That sucks,” Yuqi set her notebook down in the desk in front of her. “Isn’t she going to Thailand soon?”

“Tomorrow,” Miyeon grumbled, head buried in between her arms.

“She’ll only be gone a week, right?”

“Yeah, but a week’s so loooooooooooong,” She wined.

“Aish, don’t be so dramatic. Minnie has lots of relatives there, plus she’ll probably come back 5 pounds heavier with all that food her grandma’s gonna feed her.” Yuqi snorted. 

“Aaaaaaa, Yuqi-ah! You’re not helping.” She pouted. “I’m gonna be alone all spring break.” 

Their teacher set his things down and began going off on the things they were going to go over, sentence structure, tense in verbs, blah, blah, blah. Miyeon honestly couldn’t care less, she was already passing and only needed to study for the tests that were months away. 

“You know, you could hang out with us sometimes, right? Like without Minnie,” Yuqi whispered to her, trying to avoid Mr.Choi’s mid-afternoon wrath. 

“Of course I know that, pabo.” She landed a light slap on the human puppy’s right arm. “I’m just gonna miss her.” 

“Barf,” 

“Save it,” Yuqi mischievously giggled in her seat.

She zoned out for the remainder of class, opting to stare out the window rather than listen to Mr.Choi’s literature that would surely put her to sleep. Her life began to feel like a never-ending cycle of nerves and school work. She’d get up, go to school and zone out, get home and do 4 hours of homework every night, and rinse and repeat. But she guessed that’s what every high school student’s life was like, the only thing adding remote flavor to her days were her friends. 

The bell rang and she’d never fled a classroom faster in her life. Beelining straight to her locker, she was craving the store-bought kimbap her grandma got her for lunch. Her 5ft tall army green locker door finally coming into view, something caught her off guard. 

There was a neon pink posted stuck smack in the middle of her locker. Squinting at the text, written in messy hangul it read  _ “Let’s eat lunch in the music room, like we used to  _ _ (ღ˘⌣˘ღ)”. _

Oh, the music room. It felt like ages since Miyeon had played the piano. Far to busy trying to stay afloat in the sea of work she had waiting for her at home. Sometimes in between study breaks, she’d play a light and easy piece on her piano or just mess around and improvise as she played. 

Seeing Minnie sit in their usual spot, munching on an opened bag of chips. Her hair was really grown out now, the choppy bangs that she loved so much were brushed to the side, the subtle blond streaks dyed into her hair were all but buried in the plethora of silky black that reached past her shoulders.

“What’d you have for lunch?” Her girlfriend asked her with a mouth half full.

“Uhh, kimbap.” Looking over to what Minnie had, she noticed that all she was eating was a small bag of chips she probably bought from the vending machine down the hall. “Want some? I’m not really hungry.” 

They sat in each other’s company, splitting the seaweed roll. Minnie was cute when she ate, her cheeks full and her eyes formed into little crescents whenever Miyeon looked over at her. This really brought her back, sitting with her when she was very socially awkward, wondering why  _ the _ Minnie was gracing her with her presence. 

“You have something on your face,” Minnie leaned closer, using the pad of her thumb she brushed a grain of rice off the side of Miyeon’s mouth. Making her turn 15 shades redder and lowering her head. Which only resulted in Minnie pulled her gaze up by her chin and plating a kiss on her lips. “You taste like seaweed.”

She could’ve died, cause of death: Kim Minnie. 

“L-let’s play something!” Miyeon shot up out of her seat, walking towards the piano in the front of the room.  _ Cho Miyeon, you’re nothing but a useless gay. _ She blushed insanely. 

“Hmmm, recently I’ve been listening to ‘Thousand Years’. Do you know it?” 

Of course, Minnie’s been listening to ballads. The one thing that contrasted them were their tastes in music. Miyeon liked listening to pop and hip-hop where Minnie liked listening to R&B and indie lofi. This was weird since Miyeon normally played R&B and classical on her piano and Minnie produced pop-sounding music.

“Umm, I don’t think so. Let me pull up some sheet music for it.” She began typing on her phone furiously. “Got it, ready?”

Minnie gave her a curt nod, holding her phone in her hand with the lyrics pulled up. Miyeon started playing, she didn’t even need to look down at the keys when she was reading the music, her fingers had already memorized every one. 

The first few notes were very soft, delicate as she would describe it. The song was light, slow, and meaningful. Whoever wrote it must’ve written it with someone special in mind, someone like Minnie. She one day hoped to compose something this beautiful, something so hopeful and convivial yet sorrowful. Minnie started singing.

_ “Heart beats fast _

_ Colors and promises _

_ How to be brave _

_ How can I love when I'm afraid to fall _

_ But watching you stand alone _

_ All of my doubt, suddenly goes away somehow” _

This is what she wanted. Miyeon wanted to associate her feeling towards the piano with Minnie. Not her dad, who left, who kept trying to insert himself in and out of her life. 

_ “One step closer _

_ I have died everyday, waiting for you _

_ Darling, don't be afraid, I have loved you for a thousand years _

_ I'll love you for a thousand more” _

Memories of her and Minnie spending countless lunches fooling around and playing whatever song popped up in their heads until the bell rang. Memories of her sitting in Minnie’s studio, watching her produce a song with fire in her eyes. Memories of Minnie cheering for her loudly at her concerts.

_ “Time stands still _

_ Beauty in all she is _

_ I will be brave _

_ I will not let anything, take away _

_ What's standing in front of me _

_ Every breath, every hour has come to this” _

Shifting in her seat, her fingers play the final notes. She feels the insurmountable feeling of warmth spread through her chest.

“You play so well,” Minnie smiled.

“T-thank you,” She snapped out of her haze.

“It’s been a while since we’ve done this,”

“I’m gonna miss you.” Miyeon blurts out, her ears start burning as soon as those words leave her mouth. 

“Ahaha, I’m gonna miss you too. But I won’t be gone that long.” Minnie laughed at how cute her girlfriend was, reassuring her that she’d be back in no time. 

“Don’t do anything stupid,” Miyeon pressed their foreheads together, staring right into Minnie’s enticing eye smile.

“I won’t, I promise.”

___

Her spring break started with an excited call from Shuhua. Her best friend had woken her up at 4 in the morning just to tell her that they were going on a trip the same day.

_ “Wear something casual but cute. Well, everything you wear is cute but you know what I mean-” _

_ “Shu, why are you calling me at this time?” _

_ “Just want to make sure you can go before you plan anything else!” _ Of course, Yeh Shuhua, the only person on the planet that’d call her at 4 in the morning in such a bright tone.

_ “I’m going back to bed.” _

_ “Don’t forget!! Soojin’s coming too! Yuqi and Soyeon are at her beach house in Jeju.” _

_ “So I’m going to be third wheeling?”  _ She groaned. 

_ “Just come, okay. I promise it’ll be fun!!” _

_ “Fine,” _ She hung up. 

Shuhua wasn’t completely wrong, they spent the day at the Han river. She brought them a picnic and they lazed around in the grass. 

“See, aren’t you glad you came with us today?” Shuhua was laying in Soojin’s lap. Miyeon was sprawled out in the grass, wearing a pair of worn jeans and Minnie’s cardigan, looking like a Korean starfish. 

“Yeah, yeah, I get it. I’m no fun and you’re the best.” Miyeon deadpanned. 

“Exactly!” Soojin swatted Shuhua but the Taiwanese girl still boasted. 

They stayed there the whole day, getting dinner together at the Han river night market. 

“Miyeon, stand over there.” Soojin pointed at the railing near the night lights.

“Huh?” She walked to where Soojin directed her.

“There.” She snapped a picture with her phone, Shuhua holding her arm and inspecting her girlfriend’s photography skills.

“EEEEEHHHH?” Miyeon had never been more embarrassed in her life, an overstatement. “Why would you do that?”

“You looked nice.” Shuhua shrugged. 

Miyeon’s cheeks were a nice tint of pink, no one had ever taken pictures of her before. 

“You look pretty,” Soojin flipped her screen towards her. 

She did look pretty. And although she’d always deny this, Miyeon always looked pretty. She was never one to fixate on appearance but always caught people’s eyes. 

“W-what are you gonna do with that?” 

“Sending it in the group chat.” She replied like it was no big deal.

“WHAT? Y-you can’t do that!” 

“Why not? I’m sure Minnie would want to see,” Soojin talked like this was perfectly normal and in retrospect it was, Miyeon just wasn’t used to being looked at like that. 

**SooSoo [7:29 pm]**

Minnie look… 

_ [picture] _

**Minnie ( ✌︎'ω')✌︎ [7:31 pm]**

Pretty  (b ᵔ▽ᵔ)b

Are you guys at the Han river???

**Shu [7:31 pm]**

Mhm

God, Miyeon was drowning of embarrassment. This definitely didn’t deter Soojin and Shuhua from teasing her for the rest of the night.

The rest of her break was spent in her room, occasionally going out to get lunch with Yuqi or Shuhua. She caught up on some much-needed sleep, finished all her homework, and even recording a few songs she covered. 

Minnie would send her pictures of the beautiful Bangkok and all the insane dishes she was eating. One of Miyeon’s favorites was a picture of Minnie sitting in a boat, wearing a big puffy life jacket that squished her cheeks. She even made it her phone wallpaper. But at last, Minnie would be coming home soon, her flight was supposed to land in an hour or two. 

Filling her time watching some k-drama Yuqi recommended to her, she nearly fell out of her bed when she heard the doorbell ring. Tripping over her own feet along the way, she ripped the door open.

“Holy shit.” Miyeon rarely cursed, she never really needed to use dirty words when expressing her self but Jesus Christ. Minnie was standing on the other end, her bangs cut shorter, and hair a pale peach color. 

“Hi!” Minnie seemed to not be phased by her girlfriend’s shocking state.

“Y-your hair!” Miyeon squealed as Minnie hugged her tightly and waddling them into her apartment. “I thought I told you not to do anything stupid!”

“I don’t know, I was bored. You don’t like it?” 

“It’s not that I don’t like it, I’m just surprised!” Miyeon threw her arms in the air. “Maybe let me know before you do something like this!” 

“Sorry,” She did not look sorry at all. In fact, Minnie looked like the human sun, trying to hold in her giggles.

“Yah! Kim Minnie, you’re gonna be the death of me!” This only made her girlfriend finally burst out into laughter. “I leave you alone for a week and you come back with pink hair!” 

And only when Minnie kissed her on the lips to shut her up was she okay with the pink hair. 

“I missed you too,” The Thai girl smiled against her. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> follow me on twt, i post updates there [My Twitter](https://twitter.com/akuma__jpg)
> 
> you can yell at me about anything at this point on [My CuriousCat](https://curiouscat.me/AKUMA_jpg)


	18. "When I Look At Your Eyes, I Forget Everything But You"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First, I’d like to give a big thank you to all the readers! This turned out to be one of my most popular ffs and I made a lot of good friends writing this. Because of you guys and your support I was able to write such a good ff in the first place. I will continue to write because I think its a good creative outlet and I love seeing your guy’s reactions to the plot twists and how the characters interact. Seriously, I cannot thank you guys enough for showing me support through this all. :) -Stella

“My brain hurts,” Minnie groans, head falling back into Miyeon’s lap for the nth time. 

They were currently at Shuhua’s, cramming for the last exams of their high school lives. Well, at least Miyeon, Shuhua, and Soyeon were. Soojin, Yuqi, and Minnie couldn’t focus for shit. Every conversation was filled with Soojin griping over some math problems, Yuqi being confused, or Minnie complaining.

“When will I ever need this?” Soojin was  _ this _ close to giving up and being fine with scoring low. 

“You need it order to get into SNU, so we can all go to college together.” Shuhua reminded her, nose deep in her notes.

_ Oh right. _ That’s what they all planned, they all applied for the same university. Miyeon from a couple of years ago would’ve laughed at her and called her stupid if she chose a college just because her friends were going there. But to be honest, she didn’t care. They were nice people and Seoul National University just happened to have a lovely music program. 

Having secured that fat bag, Miyeon didn’t need to worry about tuition. All she had to do was write about her sob story of a life and she had the college board floored. Hell, they even gave her a little extra money as compensation. Needless to say, she was set and only saw these exams as child’s play. But her girlfriend  _ despised  _ studying, she even went as far as trying to avoid it her entire high school life, winging it and taking the passing with the minimal scores she got.

Soojin was the same, she was smart but rarely applied it to actual school. She was one of those kids that were told they were “gifted” so she didn’t really try. Saying it was useless for her to try on a test that measures one type of smart, or whatever stupid excuse she chose for the day, she had a lot. 

Minnie and Soojin sound bad but studying with Yuqi was like pulling teeth. That girl had the attention span of a goldfish and had a weird way of memorizing things. 

“Wait, there are 5,280 ft in a mile, right?... Oh so like 5 tomatoes… ‘5-two-eight-oh’… I think? Right? Miyeon… I need help on this one.” 

“What? We don’t even use feet in Korea?” Miyeon and Shuhua looked at the Shanghai puppy in confusion.

“I don’t think I’m gonna make it to the exams,” Yuqi whined face planting into her opened textbook. 

Checking the time, it was almost 5. She had to be in Dr.Bae’s office by 5:30. There wasn’t much for them to talk about anymore, for the most part, she had already resolved her years of childhood trauma. 

Was what her dad did wrong? Yes. Was there anything she could do about it? No. She can’t change the past, she didn’t know how many times she’s repeated that phrase in her head, cause she couldn’t. What happened was already set in stone. Even if she were to change the past, it wouldn’t bring her here, bring her to Minnie, her friends, or Mochi. Yes, one never forgets Mochi. 

But after long strenuous talks and Dr.Bae dissecting her mind, she came to the conclusion that there was no saving him. He may have pretended like he knew what she went through but there was no way she’d ever make him see the full shit storm her life was, nothing close to it even. So she had to get over it. Some people were just born stupid. Her father was one of those people, he didn’t have the emotional intelligence to be able to empathize with his real daughter, and she had to accept that. Leaving him in the past along with those memories. 

And for her mom… She would always love her, it was her  _ mom _ . But if she was being real, she didn’t really know her. She was too young to really grasp what kind of person Seungyeon was. 

“Uhh, I have to go soon, actually.” Yuqi was in the middle of asking her where babies come from. 

“Oh, do you need a ride?” Minnie shot up, excited by the prospects of leaving the snooze fest this study session was.

“Yeah, that’d be great.” She was shoveling her papers and books into her backpack and grabbing her things. Slipping one of Minnie’s hoodies over her head and walking to the door. 

“You know, if you wanted a jacket I could’ve bought you one.” Minnie opened the passenger’s side for her. 

“But I like your clothes, they smell like you.” She teased.

“It’s okay, they look better on you.” She starts up her car, giving Miyeon’s cheek a kiss.

___

“So, how are you today.” Dr.Bae clicks open her pen and brings it to her paper routinely. 

“Fine, I’m just preparing for finals. School’s going to end soon.”

Raising an eyebrow, “You sound surprisingly indifferent, you’re not scared?”

“Scared of what?”

“Scared to move on, scared to open a new chapter of your life? College is a big step.”

“I don’t know, I never really enjoyed high school, to begin with. I spent all my lunches alone and didn’t talk to anyone. I only just made friends, who are all planning to go to the same school as me.”

“I see,” she wrote down a couple things in her notepad. “How’s your grandma, not working as much?”

“Yeah, whatever work storm that was going on has passed. Now she just sleeps all the time, she must’ve been tired.”

“That’s good,” Dr.Bae flashed a charming smile. Man, whoever this woman’s wife was, was damn lucky.

They spent another hour just catching up, sharing little bits and pieces of her life. Miyeon had never been the most vocal or upfront person so this was good for her. A chance to say whatever was on her mind without judgment was liberating, it made her a happier person. 

“And remember, mental health is a right. Never be afraid to ask for help.” Dr.Bae wished her farewell on the way out of her office, her grandma was waiting for her in the car downstairs. 

All this self-care showed Miyeon sides of herself she didn’t even know existed. She started feeling more confident in herself, her thoughts, and opinions. Like she had unlocked her a new part of her life. As odd as it may sound, things seemed brighter now. She didn’t look at things from a dark, pessimistic perspective, now she approached things with vigor, curiosity even. 

In the wise words of Seo Soojin,  _ “Self-love is the best love” _ .

There weren’t a lot of people in Miyeon’s life but the few that stuck around were the most important to her. Sure, they annoyed the hell out of her sometimes but she loved them. Shuhua pestering her to get out of bed and hang out with her, Yuqi recommending her thousands upon thousands of tv shows they could watch together, Soojin offering her wise advice and her support, Soyeon sharing their passion for music and newfound hatred for Taemin, and Minnie, her girlfriend. 

Minnie was so many things in one. She was cute, kind, and soft when she wanted to be, extremely impatient, tsundere, and jealous other times. Now and again, she referred to her as her savior in her head. Minnie saved her from so many things. The unimaginable pain of being Cho Miyeon was just too much to bear sometimes, but Minnie made it worth it. 

“How was it?” Her grandma greets her, re-buckling her seatbelt and starting the car up. 

“Okay, we just talked about school stuff.” 

“Wanna get some seafood?”

“Huh?”

“I don’t know, I’ve been craving sushi these days.” Her grandma was from Incheon originally, a place known for great seafood. 

“Okay,” Miyeon agreed. 

When Eunbin said she wanted sushi, Miyeon expected them to eat at one of those cute little conveyor belt places where you could pick whatever roll you wanted. But instead, they were sitting in a fancy Michelin star restaurant where the chef showed them their live fish before taking it back into the kitchen and slaughtering it. 

“Hmmm, the yellowtail looks good.” Her grandma seemed completely oblivious that everything on the menu was $50 or more.

“Uhh, I don’t know. It’s kind of expensive…” Miyeon was sweating, the grilled cod cost more than her whole outfit. 

“Treat yourself, Miyeonnie. I make enough for you to eat whatever you want,” Eunbin insisted. 

Still not completely convinced, Miyeon tries to order the cheapest thing… which was still $54.99 but there was no bargaining with her hungry grandma. 

They finally got home, Mochi pawing at her legs wanting to be held. He was such a grumpy old man now but still enjoyed her cuddles. Maybe it was her changed state of mind, or maybe it was actually true, but their little apartment looked vivid. She remembers being afraid of the long dark hallways at night, the vast open space of the living room.

She hated open spaces so much she used to spend hours in her closet, it brought a sense of security. But after her mom had passed, she started fearing confining places, traumatized. It used to be so bad she couldn’t even open doors, too afraid of what may lie on the other side. 

Their white walls adorned with small pieces of modern art, shelves filled with family photos, Miyeon’s old school pictures dating back to late elementary. Once empty corners now filled with happy looking house plants, all green and vibrant, bringing a fresh aura into their opened abode. 

Her grandma snatches a bottle of soju from the fridge and heads out on their small balcony, beckoning Miyeon over. They take a seat on the old creaking bench they’ve set up some time ago and Eunbin pours two glasses. Staring with wide eyes, was her grandma pouring her a glass? Does she know she’s not 19 yet? No, there’s no way Eunbin could’ve forgotten a detail like that. 

“Come on, loosen up a little bit.” Her grandma flashes her a warm, hearty smile. 

If she didn’t know better, she’d think Eunbin was trying to peer pressure her into drink alcohol for the  _ first time. _ But she wasn’t and it wasn’t her first time drinking and the doctor definitely did not need to know that. 

Taking a seat beside her grandma, she sipped on the strong-tasting drink. It was quite the scene, Miyeon pretending to react to the taste like she had never tasted it before as she and Eunbin peacefully basked in the night-time buzz of in the city of Seoul. 

“I’m going to miss you, Miyeonnie.” Her grandma sighed.

“It’s not like I’m going that far,” she laughed at her grandma’s theatrics. “I’ll make sure to visit plenty.”

“Don’t worry about me, worry about Mochi. He’s gonna be an even bigger grump.” 

They spent the rest of that night reconnecting, making promises to stay in touch. It felt nice, she  _ was _ the only living relative Miyeon had and she was so lucky. The years of patience and kindness Eunbin showed her filled the hole her parents caused inside her, her grandma was precious to her. Her own personal cheerleader, Cho Eunbin.

___

The morning of exams, the school halls were filled with students trying to cram their heads with last-minute information and the frantic atmosphere was enough to make even the smartest students crack. And by the smartest students, Minnie meant Shuhua. That girl was so shaky she was practically vibrating, reciting chemical formulas under her breath since yesterday. Miyeon seemed relaxed though. She just read through a couple of note cards on their drive to school and went on as usual. 

Going into her exams with an empty head, she came out yawning. Tests really weren’t Kim Minnie’s thing, she hated high school academics and her exam ranking showed for it.

“How’d it go?” Miyeon was waiting for her outside of class, seniors were allowed to leave after they took their tests. Their whole group was going to Yuqi’s to watch some new k-drama in her home theatre. 

“Eh,”

“Eh? What does that mean?” Miyeon looked anxious, even though she probably scored high marks.

“I don’t know, I just took it.”

“Well, did you feel like you understood the questions?” 

“I guess?” Minnie shrugged.

“You guess?” 

“Hey, I just answered the questions and tried to get out of there as quickly as humanly possible.” Minnie slung an arm around her girlfriend’s uniform-clad shoulders and lead them out of the school. 

“You’re going to be the death of me, Kim Minnie.” Miyeon rolled her eyes, getting into the car. 

Soon, everyone coupled up in Yuqi’s massive house, focusing on the plot details of the enthralling show projected on the screen. 

Forgetting the previous stress of national test-taking, Shuhua was passed out in her girlfriend’s embrace while Soojin played with her hair. Miyeon was half-awake too, leaning into Minnie’s side as the Thai girl intently focused on the characters in the show. Soyeon and Yuqi were snuggled under like 5 blankets, giggling at some videos on her phone and not really paying attention anymore.

Minnie was born lucky, there was no arguing that. She was born into a rich family, she had nice brothers, and was generally pretty popular at school. But she scored big time with Cho Miyeon, Miyeon was like the human equivalent to winning the lottery. She didn’t know being with someone could make you feel like that.

Miyeon made her feel lots of things. A warm tingling sensation in her lungs whenever they talked, the rapid heartbeat thundering in her chest whenever she smiled, the stupid smile she wore whenever Miyeon laughed. Minnie was one of those people who thought they were above high school relationships but here she was, whipped out of her mind for Cho Miyeon. 

___

“YAH! MINNIE  NICHA YONTARARAK, GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE!” Mic bellowed from downstairs.

Trying to blink herself into consciousness, she jumped out of her bed and scrambled down the stairs, expecting a whole lecture from whoever was calling her in such a tone. Almost tripping over her own feet, she made it downstairs.

“CONGRATULATIONS!!!” Her family waiting at the end of the stairs with a cake and party poppers, setting them off and scaring her.

“AAAAAAA!” She trips on the last stair and falls face-first into Mac.

“Happy graduation, pabo.” Mac slaps a party hat onto her head and straightens her out. 

She was far too familiar with this family tradition. Every time a Yontararak graduated or passed a significant milestone, it was the family’s duty to throw them a surprise party early in the morning and take funny pictures of them. Maybe this was karma for the times she terrorized her brothers during their graduations, sandwiched in between them, and having the blinding camera flash shoved in her face. 

“Got gettem!” Mic slapped her backside as she trudged back upstairs to get ready for her last day of school. 

“Shut up,” She was still barely awake from that surprise attack. 

She never thought she would miss high school until she stood in front of her full-length mirror, dressed in her cap and gown. She remembers being a nervous freshman, having come fresh off the boat from Thailand. She was always self-conscious of her Korean, she wasn’t a fluent speaker and thought people would look down on her for being a foreigner. 

But on her first-day orientation, a pale Taiwanese girl animatedly started talking to her right off the bat. She was also a foreigner, rambling on about how she was new to Korea and was looking to make, as she put it, “life long friends”. Minnie thought she was insane, this girl had somewhat of an accent but talked comfortably. A part of her wanted to be like Yeh Shuhua, uncaring about her insecurities, so she stuck by her side. 

After getting settled into the new school she was thrust into, she saw some crazy girl with poofy thick hair arguing with Shuhua in mandarin. Song Yuqi, the daughter of the infamous Song Lucas. Everyone knew who she was, a girl fluent in 3 languages, mandarin, Korean, and English. Why she was about to get into a fistfight with Yeh Mark’s daughter was unknown, but they invited her to eat lunch with them anyways.

The next year, Shuhua caught something fatal. Feelings. Feelings for Soojin, the cold, rich, Seo Soojin. Minnie remembers sitting on the bleachers, hyping Shuhua up after practice. That girl had it bad, the only thing on her mind was the moled beauty… all the time… everyday… And they rest was history.

Although she hated school, the memories she made with her friends there were something she wouldn’t trade for the world. That time she and Yuqi pranked those football boys who bullied Soojin and Shuhua. Or when she and Soojin both got detention for playing Super Bass over the school loudspeaker during exams season. And of course, Miyeon’s legendary 17th birthday. People got so wasted they said their hangovers lasted for 3 whole days. 

“Minnie! We’re leaving in 5 minutes!” Her mom announced. 

“I’m ready!” She sprinted down the stairs, two at a time.

“There’s no way I’m letting you wear converse to your graduation.” Her mom shook her head, arms crossed.

“What? It’s not like anyone’s gonna see them under this thing anyways.” She pouted.

“Minnie,” Her mom warned

“Alright, we’re gonna be late!” Minnie avoided. Straightening out her violet sash imprinted with CUBE’s emblem, she heads out the door.

___

This  _ not _ what Miyeon imagined her graduation to look like. Cramped inside CUBEs huge gym, sitting in hard wooden chairs while their president went off about how their graduating class was their school’s pride, blah, blah, blah. The thing that ticked her off the most was that they were seated in alphabetical order, so she couldn’t sit with her friends. And on top of all that, her grandma had to leave as soon as she dropped her off because there was an emergency at the hospital. Some kid swallowed a lego or something, she wasn’t really paying attention to what her grandma, only focusing on the detail that she wouldn’t see her get her diploma. 

Eunbin made sure so text Shuhua’s dad and ask him to film the whole thing so she could see it later. It was weird, how her grandma and Mark were good friends. Actually, all their parents were good friends with Eunbin, she was a naturally amiable person. 

Once their teachers finished their teary speeches, they one by one started calling names and kids started filtering onto the stage to pose with their diplomas. 

When the principal announced, “Cho Miyeon.” Kids scattered throughout the dense crowd cheered for her, making her blush. 

She would forever be remembered as the girl who had that insane party. Kids basically worshipped her based on that and she didn’t even really throw the party, Shuhua did. Regardless, they cheered for her and she quickly got off the stage after awkwardly smiling into Shuhua’s dad’s camera. 

Miyeon made sure to let out a couple hollars when her friends got up too, patiently waiting to see them after the ceremony. 

“I’M FREE!” Soyeon yelled once they all met up in the still heavily crowded place. 

“FINALLY!” Soojin added, earning a light slap from Shuhua. 

“Guy’s get closer,” Minnie’s mom motioned them with her hands. Holding her phone out to take a picture and standing in that classic mom picture-taking pose.

Squishing together, Miyeon almost passed out from how hard Yuqi was hugging her. But at last, they finally got a good photo with all of them, even after Minnie kept blinking. It was a miracle they even had enough time to take all the pictures their parents made them stand for.

From the corner of her eyes, Miyeon saw Taemin and Jieun begin to approach them. Most likely coming over to graduate their daughter on graduation, but no. Taemin made eye contact with her and started walking over. The grip she held on Minnie’s hand slowly got tighter, pulling Minnie’s attention towards her.

“Wha-” And then she saw it, the mortified look on her girlfriend’s face. Pushing Miyeon behind her as to shield from the pure evil coming towards them.

“Uhh, Miyeo-” Was all he could say before Minnie’s fist went careening into his nose, sending him flying backward.

Miyeon expected many things, but she didn’t expect Minnie to punch him. The loud boisterous laugh erupting from Soyeon couldn’t be missed, when she saw the Thai girl sock her dad in the face. Soojin and Shuhua were subtlely cheering in the background and Yuqi was giggling so hard she started snorting. 

Taemin yelped out in pain, clutching his freshly broken nose dripping a few drops of blood. And Minnie winced from the impact her fist took, quickly shaking it and pulling Miyeon out of the building as fast as her legs could take her. Everyone around them was shell shocked, speechless at the scene of head section leader Jeon Taemin being taken out by a teenage girl. Soyeon was unable to control her laughter as her mom scolded her. 

Miyeon held a hand over her mouth, trying to suppress her own laughter as Minnie dragged her to the roof of the school. 

“You didn’t have to do that, pabo.” Miyeon grabbed Minnie’s bleeding hand and applied a bandaid onto her bleeding knuckles. Her fist slightly clipped Taemin’s tooth as a by-product of breaking his nose. 

“I wanted to!” She puffed up her chest in pride. “Plus he deserved it,” Minnie muttered under her breath, immediately softening under Miyeon’s undivided attention. 

“Idiot,” Miyeon kisses her on the cheek after tending to her wound.

“Can we just stay up here?” Minnie looked at her expectantly. “I’m really not in the mood to get my ass kicked by my parents.”

“I guess, it’s not like I have anyone waiting for me anyway.” She pulled them to the small stoop on the roof where she used to eat her lunch before she figured out there was an abandoned music room in the literature building. 

There they sat, spending their graduation watching the sunset over their school. The sea of students carrying bouquets of flowers and wearing the same purple sash they had on could be seen bellow, gathering with their friends for a fun night out. Resting her head on Minnie’s shoulder as they dangled their feet off the edge of the building. 

“Wow, we did it. We graduated.” She finally let out, Miyeon nodding against her. “Did you like it? High school, I mean.”

“Not really,” She said with bated breath. “I didn’t have anything to look forward too for such a long time,”

“Mmm,” Her girlfriend hummed in acknowledgment. 

“I didn’t have any friends, any interests, but now I have you guys. And as cheesy as it sounds, you guys brought the best out of me.”

The sky set into a nice shade of pinkish-orange, clouds obscuring the dimming sun, Minnie felt content with her being. Their black graduation gowns forgotten behind them and the peaceful cooling spring breeze was the only thing feining against their existence at this moment. It was like they were in their own little world, upon the empty rooftop. Looking down at the little people, the little cars, as if nothing could touch them only the sweet rays raining down on their youthful skin. 

“Let’s just stay like this,” she sighed. “Just until the sun sets.” 

“Anything for you, Cho Miyeon.” Minnie smiled in return. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seems like the end of an era! I really enjoyed writing this, I really love the mimin ship and I plan on writing more mimin content in the future. For now, feel free to read some of my works while I work on my other series down the line. Also, don’t forget to support and watch Minnie and Miyeon’s acting debut. Idle best girls!!!! And don’t worry, I plan on adding more one-shot, addons to this series (it’s just this story-line is coming to an end) under the same branch WWGINE. Also, let me know if you guys would be interested in me doing ff commissions :)

**Author's Note:**

> 天気の子 (or "Weathering With You" sub): https://kissanime.ru/Anime/Tenki-no-Ko  
> 天気の子 (or "Weathering With You" dub): https://kissanime.ru/Anime/Weathering-With-You-Dub  
> 君の名は (or "Your Name" sub): https://kissanime.ru/Anime/Kimi-no-Na-wa  
> 君の名は (or "Your Name" dub): https://kissanime.ru/Anime/Kimi-no-Na-wa-Dub  
> ^^All these links are on a FREE anime streaming website called KissAnime, they were directed by my second favorite Japanese director, Makoto Shinkai.
> 
> twt: @akuma__jpg  
> Don't forget to leave kudos, thanks!


End file.
